Nkunku: Returning to Leipzig to regain his form; had issues with coach at Chelsea

According to Kicker, after returning to RB Leipzig, Nkunku hopes to get his career back on track.

Nkunku is the only player in RB Leipzig's current squad who has previously played at Como's home ground, the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. Speaking about AC Milan's 3-1 away win over Como on January 15 this year, Nkunku said: "I have good memories of that match." He also scored in that game, which was one of the few satisfying performances during his time at Milan.

Now, after an unpleasant period, Nkunku has returned to Leipzig. At UEFA's pre-match press conference in Como on Wednesday, the French forward faced the media for the first time since his return. He explained why he chose to return to Leipzig: "I really wanted to come back and play the football I want to play. The coach guaranteed me that."

After the first few weeks following his return, Nkunku believes his choice has been validated. He said: "I feel very comfortable, and I think I made a good decision."

Speaking about his experiences at Chelsea and Milan, Nkunku admitted: "At Chelsea, there were problems between me and the coach, while at Milan, the team's style of football was different from what I was familiar with."

After returning to Leipzig, Nkunku showed very different performances in his first two matches. In the opening round against Borussia Monchengladbach, he came off the bench and assisted Reitz for a 3-0 goal; a week later against Werder Bremen, he had almost no room to make an impact under the opponent's tight defense, and Leipzig eventually lost 1-3.

Looking ahead to Thursday's Champions League away match against Como, Nkunku said: "It will definitely be a different game, but it will also be difficult. I hope we can create more chances than we did against Bremen."

Nkunku played for Leipzig from 2019 to 2023 and enjoyed the most successful period of his career there. In 2023, he moved to Chelsea, but due to factors including injuries, he was unable to reproduce his previous form and later joined AC Milan. Now back at familiar Leipzig, Nkunku believes he understands everything about the club very well and knows what the team expects from him.

"I feel that there is not much difference compared with when I first came here," Nkunku said. Whether his technical level is also the same as before will need to be proven on the pitch.