Chelsea can axe Nkunku for "the most inform youth striker in England"
da betobet： Chelsea has a huge fixture in the UEFA Conference League coming up on Thursday night. Enzo Maresca’s side face Polish side Legia Warsaw in the first leg of their quarter-final clash away from home.
da bet esporte： It has been a flawless campaign in the Conference League for the West Londoners. They have played eight games and won them all, scoring an impressive 29 goals and conceding just six. In the last round, they knocked out Danish giants FC Copenhagen.
One of the key players in the Conference League for Chelsea this season has been Christopher Nkunku, although his form across all competitions has not been as consistent.
Nkunku's form in 2024/25
It has certainly been an indifferent campaign so far for France international Nkunku. The former Paris Saint-Germain star has played 39 times across all competitions, scoring 14 goals and grabbing five assists in that.
The Conference League has really been where he has done his best work. In seven appearances so far in the competition, the former RB Leipzig star has scored five goals and registered three assists. That included two goals and one assist in the 8-0 thrashing of FC Noah at Stamford Bridge.
However, it has not been plain sailing for the Chelsea attacker in the Premier League, where he has just five goal involvements in 26 appearances. He has struggled to break into the starting lineup under Maresca, having played 907 minutes and the equivalent of ten full 90-minute games.
Manchester United legend turned pundit Gary Neville has been critical of the Frenchman this term. After Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat away to Brighton in February, Neville described his performance as “useless” and said it is “time now for him to step up”.
Who knows what the future holds for the Frenchman, with GiveMeSport recently reporting that he could be “plying his trade elsewhere” next season. If this is the case, perhaps the Blues have the perfect replacement waiting in the wings.
Chelsea’s in-house Nkunku replacement
Chelsea’s esteemed Cobham academy has produced some extraordinary footballers over the years. Perhaps the next player from Cobham who could break into the first team at Stamford Bridge will be striker Donell McNeilly.
It has been a sensational season for the London-born 19-year-old. In 19 games for the Blues’ academy this term, he has scored 12 goals and grabbed two assists. That includes 11 goals in 17 Premier League 2 appearances.
There was a spell between the end of September last year and the middle of January when McNeilly simply could not stop contributing to goals. In fact, he had ten goals and assists in an eight-game spell in the Premier League 2.
The teenager’s goalscoring run has continued, and he now has two goals in his last two games in the Premier League 2. One of those was a sweetly struck volley against Aston Villa, which he hooked back across goal with an outstretched right leg.
McNeilly has also impressed for Chelsea in the EFL Trophy in which he scored once against Bromley. As per Sofascore, he won four ground duels and completed 80% of his passes in the same game. It was a similar story against Cambridge United, in which he won seven from ten ground duels.
McNeilly stats per game in EFL Trophy
Stat
vs. Bromley
vs. Cambridge
Mins played
72
60
Touches
29
32
Pass accuracy
80%
75%
Duels won
5/9
8/11
Tackles won
2/2
3/3
Shots
4
3
Goals
1
0
Stats from Sofascore
Football scout Antonio Mango described McNeilly as “the most inform youth Striker in England” in 2024, and it certainly seems like that is still the case. He has been on fire at youth level and has continued to impress outside of his goal-scoring prowess.
If Nkunku is to depart Chelsea this summer, they might well have his replacement waiting in the wings, just ready to explode at the highest level.
Related A better signing than Gittens: Chelsea enter race to land £150m winger
Chelsea are looking to improve their attack.