- Nkunku not dwelling on Chelsea's poor season
- £52 million signing focusing on 2023/24
- Developed winning mentality at PSG
WHAT HAPPENED? Nkunku joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig for £52 million ($67m) earlier this summer after scoring 16 goals in 25 games for the Bundesliga side last season. Despite the Blues finishing 12th in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, the 25-year-old, who signed a deal until 2029, is happy to be part of the club's new project.
WHAT THEY SAID: He told The Times: “The season of Chelsea last year wasn’t good, everybody knows this. This year is a new project, new year, new season. I am the new project and I am happy to be here.
“Even if Chelsea was 15th or 16th place, it doesn’t matter for me because I knew that the new season would not be the same as last season. The club is not in the European competition but I want to have a main role in the team. Chelsea proposed this project to me and I am happy with it.”
Nkunku also spoke about the winning mentality he developed after joining Paris Saint-Germain’s academy at the age of eight. “In every category you need to win and be first in the table. This is what we learnt at PSG — how to win. It was the same in the first-team, too. We tried to win every game. Even drawing is like a loss. We want three points every time. That is the attitude we have," he added.
“For me, it was natural. I don’t like to lose. I get angry and upset. I don’t like to lose in any game. Even if we are playing cards I want to win. If there is a competition I want to win. After a while players learn this [attitude].”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chelsea finished 30 points worse off than the 2021/22 campaign, with their total of 44 their worst in any season since 1987-88 (42). The Blues will hope the hundreds of millions they have spent in the past year or so, plus the arrival of new manager Mauricio Pochettino, will fire them up the league table.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT? Nkunku will be back in Chelsea action on Sunday when they take on Fulham, before starting their season against Liverpool on August 13.