Chelsea have built themselves a squad most clubs would kill for over the last few years.
The likes of Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Reece James, for example, could be the core of a Premier League title-winning side.
However, while the Blues have got plenty right when it comes to squad building, they've also made more than their fair share of mistakes.
Chelsea's Liam Delap celebrates scoring their third goal with teammates
One such mistake was Christopher Nkunku, and as things stand, one of Enzo Maresca's signings looks in danger of following in the Frenchman's footsteps at Chelsea.
How Nkunku fared at Chelsea
Chelsea paid RB Leipzig a pretty hefty sum of £52m in the summer of 2023 for Nkunku, and while such a fee now looks silly, it felt more than fair at the time.
christopher-nkunku-chelsea-premier-league
After all, across the 21/22 and 22/23 seasons, the 28-year-old racked up an incredible haul of 58 goals and 29 assists in 88 appearances, totalling 7006 minutes.
In other words, he averaged a goal involvement every 1.01 games, or every 80.52 minutes across a two-year period, which is ridiculous and explains why the West Londoners were so eager to sign him.
Unfortunately, the Stamford Bridge faithful would never see that version of the Frenchman.
His bad luck started right away, when in a pre-season friendly game against Borussia Dortmund, he suffered a knee injury that required surgery and kept him out of the side until late November.
The Lagny-sur-Marne-born ace would be sidelined eight times across his two years with Chelsea, which saw him miss a whopping 70 games in all competitions.
Unfortunately, he didn't have an awful lot of luck on the pitch either, as by the time he left for AC Milan in the summer, he had scored just 18 goals and provided five assists in 62 appearances, with ten of those goal involvements coming in the Conference League.
Chelsea's record signings (timeless)
In all, Nkunku looked like he was going to be an excellent signing for Chelsea, but ultimately left a flop, and if he doesn't improve quickly, one of Maresca's summer signings could follow that same path.
Chelsea's next Nkunku in the making
As things stand, it would be fair to say that of Chelsea's summer signings, the two who appear to be settling in best are Joao Pedro and Alejandro Garnacho.
However, while the likes of Liam Delap and Jorrel Hato have been underwhelming, it's Jamie Gittens who is in most danger of becoming another Nkunku.
After all, the Englishman and the circumstances around his move feel eerily similar to those of the Frenchman's after all.
gittens
For example, the Blues signed him from a top Bundesliga side, Dortmund, after a pretty impressive campaign.
In 49 games for the German behemoth, the Reading-born dynamo racked up a haul of 17 goal involvements and even scored away to Bayern Munich in the league and Real Madrid in the Champions League.
This ability to perform on the biggest of stages and generally looking a threat whenever he was on the ball led to Sky Sports' Dougie Critchley even describing him as "England's best left winger" at one point.
On top of their paths being similar, the 21-year-old is also now struggling to make an impact for the West Londoners.
gittens
For example, across 20 appearances totalling 921 minutes, the summer signing has scored one goal and provided five assists, which comes to a goal involvement every 3.33 games, or every 153.5 minutes.
Worse still, three of those goal involvements came in the League Cup, and the two in the league came against newly promoted Burnley and Leeds United.
Gittens' recent league form
Season
Appearances
Minutes
Goals
Assists
Goal Involvements per Match
Minutes per Goal Involvement
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Moreover, in the game against League One Cardiff City, he looked hopeless and was hooked on 66 minutes, having failed to take a shot on target and failing in 100% of his dribbles.
Ultimately, with how poorly Gittens has performed so far this season, it's hard to disagree with one analyst's opinion that he has been a "pointless signing."
Therefore, if he doesn't improve quickly, there is every chance he could become Chelsea's next Nkunku.
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The international star would be as much of a game-changer for Chelsea as Cole Palmer has been.