Over the years, Chelsea Football Club has been the home to countless centre-forwards who have captured the hearts of the fanbase with their impressive displays on the pitch.
Eidur Gudjohnsen featured for the Blues over a six-year period, amassing over 250 appearances, but catching the eye with his finishing ability in the final third.
The former Iceland international netted 78 times during his time at Stamford Bridge, helping the club win multiple Premier League titles along the way.
He wasn’t the only talisman to impress during his time as a player, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scoring 87 times in 177 games in West London, cementing his own place in the club’s history books.
However, fast-forward to 2025, the club have lacked that focal point under Enzo Maresca, with the Italian yet to make his own stamp on the forward line since his summer appointment.
Christopher Nkunku’s stats for Chelsea in 2024/25
With Nicolas Jackson currently on the treatment table, Maresca has relied upon Frenchman Christopher Nkunku to lead the line for Chelsea over the past couple of weeks.
The 27-year-old has struggled for regular minutes after his £52m move from RB Leipzig in 2023, with an ACL injury halting his progress for the majority of last season.
However, he’s been handed multiple starts over the last couple of weeks, looking to fill the void left by the Senegalese international after his recent injury setback.
Nkunku has started each of the last four outings across all competitions, registering one goal and one assist, with both of his contributions coming in the recent 4-0 thrashing of Southampton.
He’s offered a temporary solution to the forward position, which the manager has desperately tried to bolster during his two transfer windows since his appointment.
However, the club may have been better off keeping hold of one player who certainly would’ve offered the focal point the Italian has craved in recent months.
The Nkunku upgrade that Chelsea sold back in 2021
Off the back of winning the Champions League back in 2020/21, Chelsea made some big-money investments, which saw numerous players depart from the Bridge.
Romelu Lukaku arrived in a £97.5m deal from Inter Milan, which resulted in Tammy Abraham leaving in a £34m deal to join Serie A side Roma, ending his long-standing affiliation with his boyhood club.
Whilst it was a superb fee to receive for an academy graduate, they parted ways with an impressive talent who has continued his goal-scoring form away from West London.
Abraham, who’s currently spending the season on loan at AC Milan, has registered 45 goals since his big-money departure, with eight of which coming during the ongoing campaign.
When comparing his underlying stats to those of Nkunku, the Englishman has outperformed the current first-team star, highlighting the mistake the Blues made in allowing him to leave the club.
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How Abraham compares to Nkunku in 2024/25 so far |
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|---|---|---|
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Statistics (per 90) |
Abraham |
Nkunku |
|
Games played |
21 |
23 |
|
Goals & assists |
4 |
5 |
|
Shot-on-target accuracy |
47% |
45% |
|
Aerials won |
2.4 |
1.4 |
|
Aerial success rate |
48% |
41% |
|
Tackles won |
1 |
0.5 |
|
Expected goals |
0.6 |
0.5 |
|
Stats via FBref |
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Abraham, who’s previously been labelled “sensational” by commentator Matteo Bonetti, has achieved a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate this season whilst also winning more of the aerials he’s entered.
He’s also registered a higher xG to date, finding himself in better opportunities to score than the Frenchman, offering that out and out presence they’ve desired over the past couple of months.
Given his form in Italy, the club certainly may have offloaded the 27-year-old too prematurely, having the tools to offer the needed focal point Maresca craves in West London.
However, unfortunately for the Blues, he will remain a case of what could’ve been had they kept hold of him, with Abraham thriving away from his boyhood with the added minutes he’s received after departing in 2021.
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