The forward will join the Blues from 1 July, following a successful stint in Germany where he helped Leipzig twice win the DFB-Pokal and was previously named as the Bundesliga’s best player and won the German Footballer of the Year award (both in 2022).

Here, we analyse what Nkunku could offer Chelsea and highlight his key attributes in what is already an impressive career to date…

Nkunku’s best role

With Mauricio Pochettino set to take over as Chelsea head coach in the summer, he must be eager to get to work with Nkunku who seems the ideal player for the way the former Tottenham and PSG boss likes his attacking players to interchange.

Nkunku offers the variety that all top-level coaches crave, able to play in any of the positions across the front line and having pace, power and precision to match.

Despite being capable of playing as a wide forward, the French international seems more at home playing through the centre, either as a traditional number nine or as a second striker.

He’s more than capable of dropping deeper into that second striker role, or even playing as a No.10, and creates goals as well as scoring them. The forward is into double figures for goals again this season, while also recording 20 goal contributions in just 25 Bundesliga fixtures this term.

He finished as the Bundesliga’s top goalscorer, shared with Niclas Fullkrug, to highlight his ability to find the back of the net.

His main strengths

• Speed

• Movement

• Intelligence

Speed is key

A key element to Nkunku’s forward play is his speed, particularly his acceleration over short distances.

Although not renowned for ‘lung-busting’ pace between the boxes, the Frenchman can be utilised well when in transition on the counter attack due to his acceleration over shorter spaces that can be exposed, and therefore exploited, in high turnovers.

How Pochettino plans to use Nkunku remains to be seen, but given how the Argentine likes his sides to be fit, full of energy and play on the front foot, you’d imagine he’d want to use the forward’s speed in his attacking armoury.

Moving in the shadows

Another attribute that Nkunku produces well is his movement in the final third. It plays a key role in him bearing so many instincts needed to be a top-level forward. He likes to lurk in the shadows of defenders, making him difficult to pick up by markers, while also showing the intelligence to shift direction frequently to ensure that he’s a persistent, and often dangerous, option to play into feet or over the top into space.

Intelligent performer

Not only is Nkunku comfortable playing with both feet, his awareness of his team-mates and the positions they take up on the pitch is fantastic.

Dropping deeper to take up central positions and bring others into play is a key part of his game, while having the ability to drift wide and stretch the play – utilising his rapid pace on the turn – is another key weapon of his.

However, centrally is where he can operate at another level. His speed of footwork is exceptional with both feet, even when receiving with his back to goal.

Taking the ball in tight spaces, or on the turn, represent no issues to the Frenchman because his first touch is immaculate. It’s that cushioned touch that allows him the split second to either start an attack or play in a team-mate.

When he’s at full pace, he can be a joy to watch. When you combine the timing of his touch with the space to accelerate into, he can – at times – be too much for defenders to handle.

Let’s hope we see Nkunku apply those killer attributes to this Chelsea side and shine in the Premier League for many years to come!