Christopher Nkunku has posted a video of himself in the gym after Thiago Silva – in jest – told him to cut his summer holiday short. The 25-year-old forward was unveiled as a Chelsea player last month, penning a deal which keeps him at Stamford Bridge until 2029, but he's yet to join Mauricio Pochettino at Cobham training ground for pre-season.
football.london understands that the Blues were monitoring Nkunku during his time at RB Leipzig, and they were thoroughly impressed. Despite having missed two months of the season, the France international still managed to get his hands on the Bundesliga golden boot, along with Niclas Fullkrug, scoring 16 goals.
After Chelsea struggled to find the net last term, Nkunku is expected to play a major role for under Pochettino as the west Londoners look to lock horns with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool once more. In order to rub shoulders with the best, the new Chelsea boss has prepared a vigorous pre-season training programme which will elevate the players' physical profiles.
While the likes of Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva are among those to have reported for duty, the Frenchman is still on holiday – as are others too, of course. Earlier this week, Nkunku posted a picture of himself to his Instagram and the 38-year-old defender commented: "work buddy *angry emoji* *laughing face emoji* holidays are over."
"Ahaha *two laughing face emojis* enjoying the last days before I suffer," replied the new Blues signing. Then, a day or so later, Nkunku uploaded a video of himself in the gym to his Instagram story and tagged Silva, with the sweating emoji and saluting emoji.
While the Brazil international's light-hearted comment was a joke, Pochettino will be pleased to see that the players respect the veteran, who is in contention to become the next Chelsea captain. According to the Evening Standard, the Argentine will make a final decision on his new captain towards the end of pre-season once he's established a stronger relationship with his players.
The report states that Silva is a 'clear frontrunner' to take over having previously taken the armband in Cesar Azpilicueta's absence. It's said that Reece James, Raheem Sterling and Kepa Arrizabalaga will be considered too.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: Paulo Dybala claim, Caicedo boost, Vlahovic swap, Lukaku offer
In his first interview as Chelsea manager, Pochettino revealed what he's looking for from his to-be captain. He said: "We need leaders, not followers, in every single area and we will push every person to bring their best and give their best for the club.
"If we are all together, we are going to be very strong. We have an unbelievable squad and for sure are going to bring players with commitment who want to be part of it also. With the fans and everyone, we can find again the way to be successful."
