Mauricio Pochettino already has two perfect Christopher Nkunku Chelsea replacements vs Leeds
Chelsea's decision to allow Armando Broja to go on loan to Fulham looked risky at the time. Less than four weeks on and it continues to appear worse and worse.
His departure was partially signed off due to the return from the African Cup of Nations for Nicolas Jackson, and Christopher Nkunku getting back to fitness following his first setback in recovering from the knee injury that ruled him out for the first four months of the season. Since the deadline day move, Jackson has played five times, starting four, and scoring once.
Nkunku, on the other hand, started just once, and has been a substitute in the other four. His minutes have been largely minimal, and not once has he played more than an hour. It means that seven months into his Chelsea career he has played less than 400 minutes. Axel Disasi, for comparison, has played had the same amount since the start of February.
Having picked up two long-term injuries in the space of 18 months, Nkunku was already a slight fitness risk when he arrived. Now, he is a constant and growing problem.
Not only did the Frenchmanstruggle to adapt to the speed of English football upon his brief return, he has now left Mauricio Pochettino with just one senior striker for the next month. Having spent much of the season up to January explaining his desire to get another striker in the door, it's hard to imagine Pochettino was overly keen on being left in this position.
Although he did at one stage turn to Cole Palmer as a centre-forward despite Broja's availability as the sole senior striker at the club, the Albanian was at least there to play a part. Now, there is no such back-up.
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