Christopher Nkunku cited the “choices” made by Enzo Maresca as one of the reasons why his Chelsea career never quite took off.
The fleet-footed French forward’s arrival in west London two years ago was something of a coup. Snapped up for €60 million (£52.1 million, $70.3 million), Nkunku had directly contributed to 53 Bundesliga goals across the previous two seasons. He managed to amass a grand total of eight combined goals and assists during his two years in the Premier League.
After flirting with a January exit and Bayern Munich in particular, Nkunku belatedly sealed a permanent move to AC Milan this summer worth up to €42 million. Upon his San Siro arrival, the versatile forward was keen to set the record straight.
Nkunku pulled up in Chelsea’s final fixture of their pre-season tour of the US during his first summer at the club, derailing that entire debut campaign which saw him make just two Premier League starts. “I got injured straight away and was out for five months, and upon my return I had a relapse,” the Frenchman explained shortly after signing for Milan.
The revival of Christopher Nkunku will come in Milan. pic.twitter.com/Y2adNRNBbl
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) August 28, 2025
However, Nkunku had a clean bill of health heading into the 2024–25 campaign, the same summer in which Maresca was appointed as Chelsea manager. “In my second year, I worked hard and did everything I could to be ready,” Nkunku pointedly noted, “and the coach made his choices.”
Those choices effectively amounted to overlooking Nkunku. The 27-year-old started just three Premier League games before getting the nod against Brighton & Hove Albion on Valentine’s Day. Chelsea promptly lost 3–0. Injuries to the team’s other forwards at the start of the new year forced Maresca to turn to Nkunku, who emphatically failed to make the most of these rare starts.
During the 2024–25 campaign, the Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate directly contributed to five Premier League goals—four of which were against a Southampton side that endured the second-worst campaign in the competition’s history.
“I’m the same player I’ve always been,” Nkunku insisted. “I want to play with a smile, and I know it will be different here in Milan.” It can’t be much worse.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘I Did Everything’—Chelsea Outcast Takes Aim at Enzo Maresca After Summer Exit.
