There has not been a whole lot to cheer about for Chelsea fans this year, as every impressive win is seemingly followed by an embarrassing draw or defeat.
For all the money spent on new players for Mauricio Pochettino in the summer, the performances haven't improved from last season.
That said, a few youngsters have impressed thus far, with Cole Palmer being the obvious one, but there is another that people might look kinder upon at the end of the year: a player who is now worth twice as much as Christopher Nkunku.
Christopher Nkunku's valuation this season
Chelsea spent around £52m to sign Nkunku from German club RB Leipzig last season, and while the transfer was initially agreed in December 2022, he didn't join the club until the summer window.
Since arriving in West London, it would be hard to describe the Frenchman's season as anything other than a disaster, not due to his performances but his consistent and severe injury problems.
In the 26-year-old's short Blues career so far, he has suffered from four separate injuries, which have seen him miss a total of 34 games and spend 221 days on the sidelines.
This acute lack of game time has understandably hurt his valuation, with the CIES Football Observatory now pricing the former Paris Saint-Germain forward at just €40m, which is £34m, and it would probably be even less if he didn't have such an impressive campaign last year, returning 32 goal involvements in 36 games.
Nkunku's value has plunged so dramatically this year that he is now worth half as much as one of his younger teammates.
Nicolas Jackson's valuation this season
Yes, the player in question is fellow summer signing Nicolas Jackson.
Now, the former Villarreal striker has not had the easiest of transitions into English football, and he has received his fair share of stick for his myriad of impressive misses, but it hasn't been as poor a season as many might think.
In his 35 appearances so far this year, the Djibonker-born ace has scored 12 goals and provided four assists, meaning he is averaging a goal involvement every 2.1 games for Pochettino's malfunctioning side, which for a young player in his first campaign in England, really is not that bad, and is far from a complete disaster.
Moreover, his underlying numbers are genuinely quite impressive as well.
According to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the "extraordinary" striker, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, sits in the top 7% of forwards for non-penalty expected goals and assists, the top 10% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 14% for successful take-ons, and the top 15% for pass completion, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
Top 7%
Non-Penalty Expected Goals
Top 10%
Successful Take-Ons
Top 14%
Pass Completion
Top 15%
Non-Penalty Goals
Top 17%
These statistics might not make the 22-year-old a world-class number nine, but they suggest that, over time, he could develop into the striker Chelsea need and, combined with his age, have seen his valuation soar this season.
According to the CIES Football Observatory, he is now worth around €80m, or £68m, which is twice Nkunku's valuation and £38m more than they paid for the rapid forward, which shows that the club have hit the jackpot with the Senegal international as his soaring value and performances on the pitch have been promising given the circumstances.
Chelsea star whose value has fallen by £64m is now worth less than Palmer
The talented Blues ace has had an underwhelming season this year.
ByJack Salveson HolmesApr 12, 2024
Ultimately, while Jackson hasn't lit the world alight this season, he also hasn't been anywhere near as poor as some may suggest, and while it might take him a couple more campaigns to fulfill his true potential, the fact that he is already worth so much money is just a nice bonus for Chelsea Football Club.