Chelsea may sign new striker after fresh Christopher Nkunku injury
Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that Chelsea may be forced into signing a striker in January because of Christopher Nkunku's latest injury woe.
The 26-year-old has played just four times for Chelsea after missing the first five months of the season with a serious knee injury, and has now been sidelined by a hip problem.
The Blues have relied on Nicolas Jackson, another recruit last summer, to fill the void up front, but he's currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. That leaves Armando Broja, another player who has endured a glut of injury problems, as the club's only fit recognised centre forward.
Asked by the media ahead of Chelsea's west London derby with Fulham about whether a new signing will be considered, head coach Pochettino admitted: «It's true that now in the next few days, we are going to see the situation. That's why I told you that I am a little worried.
»I still don't have all the information about whether [Nkunku] is going to be available or not for a small initial period. We need to be very clinical to take some decisions to think and see how we fix the problem.
«All of these situations make our job a little more difficult. I told you before that it is an exciting project but situations like this make it more difficult to change the situation and grow at a different pace.»
Chelsea have allowed David Datro Fofana to join Burnley on loan after ending his spell with Union Berlin, meaning that Cole Palmer could once again be deployed out of position as a 'false nine' against Fulham — a role he played during the surprise defeat to Middlesbrough in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
On how his players are feeling after that jarring loss, Pochettino added: «Of course they are disappointed
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