Christopher Nkunku’s Chelsea journey has come to an end, with the French forward sealing a permanent move to AC Milan for €37m at the end of last month.

The transfer, long expected, closes the chapter on what many Blues fans hoped would be a transformative signing when he first arrived from RB Leipzig.

Chelsea paid €60m to bring him to Stamford Bridge after an explosive spell in Germany, where he scored 70 goals and provided 56 assists in 172 games. That reputation made him one of Europe’s most sought-after forwards, but in London things never truly clicked.

Nkunku’s time in blue was disrupted from the very start. A knee injury shortly after signing sidelined him for 110 days, costing him 20 matches for club and country. It was the first in a series of setbacks that robbed Chelsea of seeing the player at his best.
He endured nine separate injuries, missing 76 games in total. Fitness problems led to another nine games out, a hip issue kept him sidelined for five, a hamstring blow ruled him out of 14, and an unexplained knock earlier this year cost him six more.

When asked about what went wrong at Chelsea, Nkunku was clear: “I think everything was perfect when I arrived, but then I got injured and was out for many months.”

The recurring problems made it impossible to build rhythm. As soon as he worked his way back, fresh issues followed.

“I was really eager to return, and then I had another muscle problem.”

By his second year at the club, Nkunku had regained fitness and hoped to make an impact. But despite his efforts, he found himself on the outside looking in.
“I was fine in my second year, but then the coach made other decisions.”

With Chelsea’s forward line reshaped under Enzo Maresca, opportunities became limited, and the Frenchman knew it was time to move on.

Nkunku insists that, despite the difficult spell, his quality has not diminished. The talent that lit up the Bundesliga is still there.

He said: “I’m still the same player who scored twice in Bergamo.”