With his hip injury, Christopher Nkunku wants to start exercising again this week, allaying Chelsea’s concerns.
Mauricio Pochettino stated last week that he was “worried” about the severity of the problem, given the £52 million summer acquisition has not been able to practice for the past two weeks.
On January 23, Chelsea and Middlesbrough will play the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, and Nkunku is hopeful he will be ready to play again.
Chelsea would benefit much from Nkunku’s comeback. He has only made one Premier League start since joining Chelsea and missed the opening four months of the season with a knee injury. Chelsea had intended to centre their attack around the France international, so his unavailability has been a significant problem.
Pochettino downplayed his remarks following Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Fulham, but it seems like he implied last week that Chelsea would look to acquire a new striker this month in response to Nkunku’s most recent injury.
Chelsea is still considering their January transfer alternatives, but because of Premier League spending restrictions, they are unable to buy a top-tier striker this month.
Though they are all too pricey this month, Victor Osimhen of Napoli, Ivan Toney of Brentford, and Evan Ferguson of Brighton are all highly regarded players. Armando Broja led the line against Fulham in Nkunku’s absence.
After Chelsea’s victory over Fulham, which made it four straight Premier League victories since Christmas, Pochettino immediately took out for a little vacation in Spain. He made a joke that while he was abroad, he wouldn’t be waiting to hear about possible new signings by his phone.
“If the phone didn’t ring, that would be preferable,” smiled Pochettino. “If it does not ring, it is better.”
After defeating Fulham, Chelsea has regained their position in the European tournament and now trails sixth-place West Ham by just three points.
Pochettino thinks Chelsea will be better able to “attack the second half of the season” after a break. “We need to give the players some rest because it’s a busy time and they need to take a break,” he stated. This is a really helpful break. They must be revitalized.”