Raheem Sterling never reached the heights of his Liverpool or Manchester City days during his time at Chelsea, prompting him to seek an escape ahead of the 2024/25 season. Consequently, he joined the numerous Chelsea players on loan and moved to North London to play for Arsenal.
Unfortunately, this move also turned out to be disappointing for Sterling, who has failed to make any impact at the Emirates Stadium so far. Midway through the Premier League season, Sterling has played just three games for Arsenal and has yet to score a goal. His only goal came in the EFL Cup against Bolton.
Arsenal, however, are prepared to take a similar risk once again. This time, they are targeting another underperforming Chelsea player — Christopher Nkunku.
According to Caught Offside, the Frenchman is keen on leaving Stamford Bridge, having struggled to get playing time under boss Enzo Maresca. Nkunku has rarely started in the Premier League, with most of his appearances coming in cup competitions, where he has scored seven goals in the Conference League and two in the EFL Cup.
Arsenal is now being linked to Nkunku, who would be looking to make his mark in the Premier League before considering a move back to clubs outside of England.
Will Nkunku be a good transfer for Arsenal?
Nkunku joined Chelsea in 2023 from RB Leipzig, committing to a long-term deal that ties him to Stamford Bridge until 2029. However, it looks increasingly unlikely that he will remain at the club for that duration.
To date, he has played 41 games for Chelsea and scored 15 goals. While this may seem like a poor return, it is important to consider that he spent a significant amount of time on the sidelines last year due to injury.
Primarily a winger, Nkunku on a six-month loan deal to Arsenal could make a lot of sense, especially with star player Bukayo Saka out for around two months (possibly more) due to his recent hamstring surgery.
🚨 Christopher Nkunku has emerged as a target for Arsenal.
He wants to leave Chelsea this winter.
(Source: @CaughtOffside) pic.twitter.com/GAJUecMoq1
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) December 31, 2024
Despite his recent struggles for consistent game time at Chelsea, Nkunku’s caliber cannot be doubted, as evidenced by his time in the Bundesliga with Leipzig. The former PSG forward scored 70 goals and provided 56 assists in 172 games for the German club.
Whether he can replicate this success in England remains to be seen.
