‘Nkunku eyes exit as Chelsea stars clash with Maresca losing the dressing room’
Christopher Nkunku looks like being one of the first out of the Chelsea exit doors as Enzo Maresca’s struggles continue at Stamford Bridge.
Supporters had high expectations for the French forward, even after his start in London was delayed by injury as he was not able to feature until the December after signing for £52million from RB Leipzig [BBC Sport].
Despite the big money spent on him and excitement building around his potential, Nkunku has struggled to get consistent game time under Mauricio Pochettino or Maresca, only really getting a chance more recently due to Nicolas Jackson‘s injury.
The 27-year-old plays some of his best football bouncing off a main striker, as an attacking midfielder or a second striker, but that role is normally filled by the ever-present Cole Palmer at Chelsea.
This has seen the player become extremely frustrated at Stamford Bridge, with managers seemingly not knowing how to utilise him properly, and therefore fans are beginning to turn on him amid a lack of impact in the Premier League.
Christopher Nkunku falls out with Chelsea star in Brentford draw
Those frustrations clearly made it onto the pitch on Sunday, 6 April, as the Blues played out a goalless draw against Thomas Frank‘s Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
In a video posted on social media, Nkunku could be seen furiously gesturing towards goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who Chelsea fans are also ready to part ways with this summer, after the Spaniard had gathered the ball from a Bees attack.
With Jackson and Palmer starting on the bench as Maresca unsuccessfully rotated key attackers after injuries, there was certainly a lack of creativity on the pitch, but there was clearly something more going on between the two unwanted stars.
Nkunku, obviously, appears deeply unhappy with his current situation, and will be itching to get away from London as soon as the summer transfer window opens.
He was linked to January exits earlier this season as his involvement was largely restricted to scoring goals in the Europa Conference League, but Bayern Munich were unwilling to pay Chelsea’s asking price and a potential swap with Man United for Alejandro Garnacho never came about.
But, having stayed at Stamford Bridge he hasn’t been able to take advantage of Jackson’s subsequent injury absence and his manager doesn’t seem capable of getting the best out of him.
Enzo Maresca in deep trouble as Chelsea stars begin to turn
Maresca has been under immense pressure at Chelsea this season, and while a top-four finish is still on the cards in the Premier League, players losing it with each other and then the manager would be catastrophic at this stage.
The Blues failed to take an important step towards Champions League qualification, hoping to take advantage of Nottingham Forest and Man City’s shortcomings this weekend, but the Bees held out.
| Premier League standings | Points |
| 3. Nottingham Forest | 57 |
| 4. Chelsea | 53 |
| 5. Man City | 52 |
| 6. Aston Villa | 51 |
That would be frustrating for all involved at Stamford Bridge but ultimately, Maresca lays out the tactics and gets his players playing a specific style, and some of his stars were clearly not happy about that.
Fans are increasingly frustrated with the pragmatic, possession-heavy approach from the former Leicester boss but signs of friction within the squad will be a much more worrying sign, despite Maresca enjoying support from the Chelsea hierarchy.
But Aston Villa, Man City, and Newcastle United are all pushing for a top-four finish, and if Chelsea do somehow miss out after such a positive start to the campaign, it could all come crashing down on the manager.