Chelsea’s surprise of the season so far is a sad one – 10 goals and only transfer rumours in return

The Athletic commissioned their writers to pick out the “surprise of the season,” good or bad, in terms of players from the clubs they cover.

At Chelsea there were certainly a few options up for grabs. You could have had the “surprise” of Enzo Fernandez losing his place, or of Malo Gusto playing as a left sided number ten, or of Robert Sanchez being in the team at all, considering the events of last year.

But instead Simon Johnson went for the sad surprise of Christopher Nkunku not being able to crack Enzo Maresca’s main team.

“Most forwards would be happy to have registered 10 goals at this stage of the season, but the France international has cause for concern. After an injury-plagued debut season, Nkunku must have hoped to make a bigger impact in 2024-25,” Johnson wrote.

Of course, the problem is that 9 of those goals have come in the Conference League or the EFL Cup.

“Enzo Maresca’s preference for wingers and Nicolas Jackson’s form leading the line means Nkunku is only being used as a substitute in the top division. He would have expected a lot more and if it continues, it is a situation worth keeping an eye on,” Johnson continued.

What the future holds for Nkunku

What he means by a “situation worth keeping an eye on” is that Nkunku is prepared to move, sooner rather than later, if he’s not given a chance. Rumours this week have connected the attacker with a switch to Manchester United, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see that chatter accelerate considerably and probably pretty concretely if a solution isn’t found soon.

Forget the teams interested in buying – if Chelsea realise they don’t want him in the team, they’ve shown they’re not afraid to ruthlessly sell an asset that’s not performing how they want.