Werner warns Nkunku he must cope with pressure ahead of £53m Chelsea move
Former Chelsea striker Timo Werner has warned RB Leipzig team-mate Christopher Nkunku he will need to cope with the increased mental pressure of playing for the Blues, as the Frenchman prepares to make a £53million summer switch.
Nkunku is expected to join Chelsea in the summer when his £53million release clause opens up at the end of the season.
Werner was asked by BILD whether he had any advice for his team-mate, having made an identical move in 2020.
The German international had been similarly viewed as one of Europe’s hottest forwards at the time Chelsea activated a £47.5million release clause to sign him, but returned to RB Leipzig last summer after a difficult spell in the Premier League.
Werner claimed the increased pressure and scrutiny of playing for Chelsea will be something Nkunku will have to cope with should his move be confirmed.
‘Everyone has to make their own experiences,’ Werner said. I had a very good first year, the second was so-so.
‘I can tell him about positive and negative experiences should he change.
‘At a club like this, you don’t play like you do at RB Leipzig because there’s more competition – not just on a sporting level, but also on a different level, mentally.
‘You have to deal with that and everyone has to find their own way.
‘That’s why it’s the wrong approach to give tips to others. Time has changed me a lot.’
Werner had scored 34 goals in 45 matches in all competitions for RB Leipzig in his final season before making the switch to Chelsea.
His first season at Stamford Bridge saw Werner score 12 goals in 52 matches, with Chelsea ending the campaign by lifting the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the final.
Werner added a further 11 goals in 37 appearances the following year, before returning to RB Leipzig for £25million.
The 26-year-old claimed he does not regret moving to Chelsea, but admitted his experience at the club changed him.
‘It made me more mature, more reflective,’ Werner said. ‘And made me want to go abroad again at the end of my career.
‘I still get a lot of letters from Chelsea fans, almost always positively.
‘I think they liked that I was authentic. I think it’s important that you can be who you are in football too.’
Nkunku has developed into one of the most sought-after players in Europe in his time in Germany.
The French international has scored 35 goals across all competitions last year before adding 17 in just 23 games this season.
RB Lepizig sporting director Max Eberl appeared to confirm his impending transfer in the summer, telling BILD ‘The signs are very, very clear that he’s moving to Chelsea’.
It comes amid a flurry of spending from the West London club, who brought in Ukrainian winger Mykhaylo Mudryk for £88m last week.
Graham Potter’s side currently sit 10th in the league, a long way from the Champions League places for a club that has spent £400m in the past year.
