Five games, four goals. And balloons by the dozen. Christopher Nkunku is back to doing what he does best, after becoming something of an enigma at Milan and an undisputed force at Leipzig. He had done it before, a few years ago, when he first broke through to the elite level. Now, almost as if by magic, he is doing it again, putting the uncertain years at Stamford Bridge and San Siro behind him the moment he pulled on a Leipzig shirt. Back in Germany, Nkunku is showing what he can do all over again. Above all, he is enjoying his football. That may be the most important thing.
His return looked like a stopgap when it took shape over the summer. A romantic one, perhaps, but a fallback all the same. Nkunku left Leipzig for Chelsea in 2023 for €60 million, moved to Milan last year for €37 million, and has now come full circle on a season-long loan. Neither move worked out as hoped. Injuries and inconsistent form took their toll, and expectations were high after he had helped Leipzig win two domestic cups and enjoy a remarkable run in Europe. The Premier League is unforgiving. Serie A can be just as tough, particularly at a Milan side short of inspiration. Nkunku became a player of flashes—capable of brilliance, but too often interrupted by spells on the sidelines or periods when his form deserted him. At Milan, there were glimpses, but little more. Eight goals were not enough to drag the Rossoneri into the Champions League.
So what has changed at Leipzig, seemingly overnight? For starters, the surroundings. Nkunku knows the club inside out. Leipzig helped make him the player he became, and now it has given him the chance to start again. He has seized it. His hat-trick in the 6-0 league win over Eintracht Frankfurt was a clear sign that the connection between player and club is back. Leipzig are once again credible dark horses in the Bundesliga, with Nkunku leading the way. At 27, he is already one of the senior figures in a squad that remains strikingly young.
“In my situation, the most important thing was to enjoy playing football again,” he said in a recent interview. “I have to focus on that, without any pressure. Leipzig was the best option for me at this point. I don’t feel under pressure, but in the years I’ve spent away from Germany I’ve learned a lot and gained experience. Now it’s time to bring that to the team. It’s a little difficult for me because I’m a reserved person, but this is the right opportunity to do it. As soon as I spoke to the coach, before signing, I knew it was going to be an important season for me and for Leipzig.” Nkunku is not the only recent Serie A arrival to have found a second wind elsewhere. Jonathan David’s revival at Atlético Madrid offers another case in point. For Nkunku, though, the return to Leipzig is about rediscovering the form that once made him one of Europe’s most exciting attacking talents.
It could yet have a bearing on his future at Milan, too. Nkunku had admitted how difficult he found it to adapt to the defensive demands of Italian football. His best performances for the Rossoneri came towards the end of the season, but by then it was too late to make a convincing case for staying. A few more months at his current level in Leipzig might change things. At Milanello, they’ll be watching.