Leipzig as a Fresh Start: Nkunku Surprised by Being Cut from Milan

Christopher Nkunku sees his return to RB Leipzig as a fresh start for his career. “The last three years didn’t go as expected. I want to play soccer again to clear my head,” said the 28-year-old ahead of the Champions League match against Como 1907.

Leipzig had signed the Frenchman—who previously played for the Saxon club from 2019 to 2023—on loan from AC Milan for one season. At the Italian club, he had been sidelined by new coach Ruben Amorim and was not allowed to train with the team.

“Sometimes you have to respect a decision even if you don’t understand it. It happened so suddenly—I didn’t see it coming,” said Nkunku. He added that one could now say this is his year at Leipzig.

Leipzig Over England

The 18-time national team player had several options and could have moved to the English Premier League. “But when the offer came from Leipzig, I felt like I had to come back,” Nkunku reported. The attacking player made his first start in the 1-3 loss in Bremen, and the same is likely to be the case tomorrow in Como.

Nkunku left Leipzig for Chelsea three years ago for 60 million euros. However, the then-leading scorer suffered a serious injury in the final preseason match and was unable to return to his former level of performance in London. Leipzig has now signed the fan favorite on a one-year loan from Milan for 3 million euros and has the option to sign Nkunku permanently for 28 million euros.

The question is whether he can return to the level he displayed at Leipzig. For the Saxons, Nkunku had scored 70 goals and provided 57 assists in 174 competitive matches. However, he was at his best in a formation featuring two strikers. Coach Martin Demichelis’s system, however, calls for only one true center forward.