Chelsea are yet to formally announce Christopher Nkunku’s arrival but he is set to join this summer, having agreed a deal in late 2022.

It is understood the Blues will pay around £52m for the Frenchman, who has developed into a prolific goalscorer whilst playing for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

So, with a move in the offing, can Nkunku prosper in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), or is there a risk of him struggling in the same way Timo Werner did?

We take a look in this Scout Report piece, where we have included data from our Premium Members Area.

NKUNKU’S HISTORY

Nkunku joined local club Paris Saint-German as a 13-year-old, where he quickly advanced through the youth set-up. He was promoted to the first-team squad in the summer of 2015 and went on to make 55 Ligue 1 appearances, winning 11 trophies on the way.

His final season in France was his best, chipping in with three goals and two assists, before making his move to RB Leipzig in 2019 as one of the last signings by former coach and sporting director Ralf Rangnick.

Given more of a prominent role in Germany, Nkunku thrived. He won the Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2021/22, with his 34 appearances yielding 20 goals – only one of which came from the penalty spot — and 13 assists.

His form in Europe was spectacular, too, scoring seven goals in six Champions League group stage matches and four more on Leipzig’s run to the Europa League semi-finals.

Nkunku finished as the Bundesliga’s joint-top goalscorer in the last campaign, despite starting just 20 league matches after a series of injury setbacks. Overall, the former PSG forward has been involved in 83 goals (47 scored, 36 assists) in 119 Bundesliga appearances.

For France, although originally selected in Didier Deschamps 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, injury forced him to withdraw, though he has been capped eight times.

IN QUOTES

“He has excellent statistics. He started as more of a wide player, but today he’s much more central, acting as a striker or second striker for Leipzig. He has a lot more freedom and he’s closer to the goal, which has made him much more decisive. So of course, we’ll try to use him in a similar way.” – Didier Deschamps, France manager

“I consider that a player like Christopher Nkunku we are unable to define him on a particular position. He is a finisher, he has scored an incredible number of goals in Bundesliga, he is the joint-top scorer in the Bundesliga with 16 goals with [Niclas] Fullkrug. He’s made a number of assists. We don’t know if he’s a left [sided player], we don’t know if he is a support striker, second striker.

I can assure you that I will miss him in the Bundesliga even though it’s not formalised, he should be in the Chelsea side next year. Christopher Nkunku has become, without us really realising it, perhaps one of the best players in the world. In any case, from my point of view, perhaps the best all-rounder from Europe.” – Polo Breitner, pundit

PLAYING STYLE/STATS

What stands out most about Nkunku is his versatility. The 25-year-old is able to play in a number of positions along the frontline, operating out wide on either flank or in support of the striker. Under Julian Nagelsmann, he even popped up as a wing-back.

However, the player himself believes he is at his best centrally, in behind a centre-forward.

“I think attacking midfield is a position that suits me well, close to the goal behind a striker. That describes me as a player nicely so I always like playing in this role.” – Christopher Nkunku

One of Nkunku’s best attributes is his dribbling ability (he won three penalties last season), as well as his dead-ball skills: he scored four direct free-kicks in the Bundesliga and also has a decent record from penalties, converting eight from 10.

Equally comfortable shooting with either foot, he is a clinical finisher and a handy creator, producing 1.6 key passes per game in last season’s Bundesliga.

WHERE NKUNKU FITS IN AT CHELSEA

Finding the back of the net was Chelsea’s biggest problem last season, with the club scoring just 38 league goals – only Bournemouth, Southampton, Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers had fewer. It hardly helps that the Blues underperformed their expected goals (xG) in the Premier League by 10.7, more than any other club bar the Toffees.

While it remains to be seen how incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino will use Nkunku, his arrival should not only help his side create more but also become more clinical in front of goal, given that he has over-performed his xG in each of the last two campaigns.

Able to play in a variety of positions, his versatility will give his new manager plenty of tactical flexibility. For example, he could play out wide, centrally in behind a number nine (which does feel most likely) or even lead the line himself. According to The Guardian, the Blues are confident in his ability to play that role when he joins the club.

A comparison with other Chelsea attackers is perhaps distorted due to Nkunku playing in the Bundesliga, but just as a point of reference, here is how he stacks up compared to his new team-mates for some of the key attacking metrics.

THE FPL PROSPECTS

Nkunku missed more than two months due to injury last season, but still finished the Bundesliga campaign as the joint-top scorer, following on from an extremely prolific campaign before that too.

He’s also thrived in the Champions League, scoring a hat-trick against Manchester City in 2021, so his arrival at Stamford Bridge should provide an instant improvement to Chelsea’s misfiring attack.

A midfielder classification and £8.0m/£8.5m pricing could tempt FPL manager to invest, although it’s hard to fully recommended a player until the 2023/24 fixtures get released on Thursday 15 June.

In terms of his position, pre-season friendlies will tell us more on that front, with Chelsea set to play in the Premier League’s Summer Series tournament in July.

The size of Chelsea’s first-team squad is currently significant, with plenty of competition in the attacking spots, but some players may have already moved on by the time Pochettino arrives at Cobham in July, including Joao Felix, who won’t be at Stamford Bridge next season.

The Blues will also have to decide on the future of Romelu Lukaku, due to return from his season-long loan spell at Inter Milan. Then there is Mason Mount – could his rumoured departure pave the way for Nkunku to have a say on set plays, potentially even penalties?

It’s also worth noting fixture congestion will be eased by Chelsea’s lack of European involvement. That means they can focus all of their attention on the Premier League, and we’ve seen how beneficial that can be for teams in the past.

Big-money signings from the Bundesliga, like Kai Havertz, Werner and Christian Pulisic, may have failed to hit the heights expected of them, but Nkunku feels like a better all-rounder, who can contribute both goals and assists.

His recent numbers may take a hit in the transition from Bundesliga to Premier League, but there is one key reason to be optimistic: Pochettino. So, if the opening fixtures fall kindly for Chelsea, expect interest in Nkunku to pick up.