Chelsea see £52m forward Christopher Nkunku branded a 'total waste of money' after 'pedestrian' FA Cup exit as Enzo Maresca is issued sack warning

France international Nkunku moved to England from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023. He had hit 58 goals across his last two seasons in Germany, but has managed only 16 for the Blues – with only five of those coming in the Premier League.

Nkunku has started just three top-flight fixtures this season, but was given a rare opportunity to impress against Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round as Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu were ruled out through injury. The 27-year-old fluffed his lines in a 2-1 defeat at the Amex Stadium.

Ex-Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley told ESPN: “There was no cutting edge to the game. [Cole] Palmer has stopped influencing games like he was. Nkunku up front, I mean what a total waste of money he’s been. And on top of that they are looking a bit fragile at the back.”

Burley added on Chelsea’s 2024-25 campaign: "The discussion earlier in the season was whether they could stay in the title race. We kind of expected them to slip but they’ve slipped back into this Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel pedestrian passing game. 57 per cent possession – way more than Brighton – but what did they do with it? Absolutely nothing."

Chelsea remain a work in progress, as they seek to unlock potential in a young squad, but Burnley said in a warning for head coach Enzo Maresca: “We know this ownership and club can make random and rash decisions. Now they must have been very pleased from what they saw from summer to Christmas. But if these performances continue and they slide down the table and they start heading out of Europe, Enzo Maresca is at a club where they will make snap decisions. They won’t give you two or three years like Arsenal did with [Mikel] Arteta through the bad spells.”

Nkunku was linked with a move elsewhere during the winter transfer window, but saw the deadline pass with no deal done. Questions will continue to be asked of his future at Stamford Bridge for as long as he fails to deliver on the expectations of being a prolific attacking option for the most ambitious of clubs.