Chelsea Forward Misses Last Training Session Ahead of Club World Cup Opener Against LAFC

Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku did not participate in their final training session ahead of their FIFA Club World Cup opener against Los Angeles FC (LAFC). 

With Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) setting the tone on Sunday, Chelsea need a show of strength to establish themselves as contenders.

Coach Enzo Maresca and his men are taking this competition seriously and have brought their entire squad for the ride. New signings, Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Andrey Santos, and Mamadou Sarr, have also been included in the Blues’ 24-man squad.

Christopher Nkunku Misses Last Training As Chelsea Prepare to Face LAFC in FIFA Club World Cup Opener

Chelsea will face Group D opponents LAFC in their first FIFA Club World Cup game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday, June 16.  Ahead of the tournament opener, Enzo Maresca oversaw the final training session on Sunday.

According to Daily Mail journalist Kieran Gill, Christopher Nkunku missed the session. Marc Guiu, Josh Acheampong, and Aaron Anselmino were also absent from training.

With Liam Delap, who outscored all English strikers in the Premier League last season, available, Chelsea are unlikely to struggle without Nkunku. However, it comes as another blow to Nkunku’s career.

Chelsea currently training. Only ones missing are Christopher Nkunku, Marc Guiu, Josh Acheampong and Aaron Anselmino. Everyone else involved for #CFC

— Kieran Gill (@kierangill_DM) June 15, 2025

Christopher Nkunku Needs Club World Cup Boost

Chelsea paid a handsome £52 million fee to sign Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023. The club expected him to emerge as a prominent goal threat, but that has not been the case.

The Frenchman has struggled to keep himself fit since his switch to West London. He barely played towards the end of the 2024/25 campaign and was an unused substitute as the club won the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Nkunku could leave this summer, with Chelsea showing interest in signing Hugo Ekitike. If he is to find a suitable club this summer, Nkunku must show he is still capable of delivering against big teams. And the revamped, 32-team FIFA Club World Cup is the perfect stage to make a mark.

Chelsea have not officially revealed the reason behind Nkunku’s absence on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if he passes the final fitness test ahead of Monday’s kickoff.

Christopher Nkunku’s Injury History at Chelsea

Since joining from RB Leipzig for £52 million, Christopher Nkunku has played 56 games in all competitions. He has scored 17 times and provided 5 assists. Last season, he scored three goals in 27 Premier League appearances. He only started nine of those matches.

Throughout his two-year career, Nkunku has missed almost as many matches as he has played. According to the data from Transfermarkt, Nkunku has missed 54 games since his move to Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately, the longest injury lay-off of his Chelsea spell came right at the beginning of his career.

Christopher Nkunku #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/Vm5dIrH0CP

— CFC Pics (@Mohxmmad) June 15, 2025

He suffered a knee injury during pre-season of the 2023/24 season in August and did not feature until November 2023. The France international missed 20 games across 110 games in 2023.