"Personally, this hurts my heart" - Former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick slams 25-year-old star's decision to reportedly join Chelsea
Former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick is unhappy with Christopher Nkunku's decision to join Chelsea in the summer. Nkunku will join the Blues from RB Leipzig in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Rangnick, however, believes that the Frenchman is making a mistake because of the state that the Blues are currently in. He further added that the player is making the move too early in his career.
Rangnick worked with Nkunku when he first arrived in Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Speaking about the player's move, he told ZDF:
"I’m also thinking of a player whose arrival at RB Leipzig I was a little bit involved in: Christopher Nkunku. For me, one of the best attacking midfielders currently available and who, in my opinion, decided to move to Chelsea far too early."
Rangnick added:
"Can you imagine that such an outstanding player comes to a club that is in the state Chelsea are in at the moment? Personally, this hurts my heart. If I were his advisor or his father, I would be very worried right now."
Nkunku has been a pivotal player for Leipzig in recent times. He has scored 17 goals and has provided five assists in 28 matches this campaign.
The Blues, however, are in a tumultuous state at present. They are 11th in the Premier League, with only 39 points from 31 matches this campaign.
Former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick warned Julian Nagelsmann about joining Chelsea
While the Blues have appointed Frank Lampard as the caretaker manager after Graham Potter's dismissal, they are expected to raid the market for a new manager in the summer.
Julian Nagelsmann is topping the west Londoners' wishlist. Rangnick, though, is unsure whether the former Bayern boss should join the Blues. The former Manchester United technical director said (via GOAL):
"At the moment, no matter who comes as a coach, you can’t really recommend anyone to go there. The very first thing to do is establish some sort of strategy and reduce the squad to a reasonable size that any coach can work with."
Apart from Nagelsmann, the Blues are also keeping tabs on the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Luis Enrique as their options to become the club's permanent manager in the summer.
Lampard is the team's fourth manager this season with Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter being sacked. Player development coach Bruno Saltor was in charge for one game.