Things had been going so well for Chelsea this summer.
Not only had Mauricio Pochettino been acquired as the club’s new manager, but the fire sale that was entirely necessary for the Blues to stay on the right side of FFP has been a huge success.
Only Hakim Ziyech, Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi remain to be sold over the course of the next few weeks, meaning that rather than Poch coming in and ‘sweeping clean,’ it’s all been done for him and he can just concentrate on bringing his squad together.
Much of Chelsea’s future successes are bound to depend on just how hands on Todd Boehly wants to be, though surely the owner will have learned his lesson over the past few transfer windows.
One of the new signings, Christopher Nkunku, who was only announced on the official Chelsea website on June 20, will now have to spend some significant time out after being injured on the club’s pre-season tour.
The official Chelsea website suggest an ‘extended period,’ but reliable journalist, Fabrizio Romano, has tweeted that the 25-year-old could be out for a mammoth 16 weeks.
Chelsea confirm Christopher Nkunku has undergone surgery to his knee injury sustained in Chicago. ?? #CFC
New signing could be out for up to 16 weeks. pic.twitter.com/fbI36rppl1
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 8, 2023
It’s a huge blow for the Blues and may even see them having to enter the market again to cover the player’s absence.
If there’s anything positive to come out of the situation, it’s probably better for a player to be injured at the beginning, rather than the end of the season, though that will be of little comfort to Nkuknu and Pochettino at this point.