GdS: Journey, roles, height and desire – the remarkable parallels between Nkunku and Pulisic

There are some remarkable similarities between Christian Pulisic and new signing Christopher Nkunku, from their journey to the players they are.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, the pair have traced the same path of having gone from Germany to Italy via England. Pulisic was a talent seeking consistency when Milan acquired him from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, having previously been at Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund and Chelsea had negotiated a deal worth €64m and he ended up moving to the Rossoneri for €20m, so less than one-third. It was a gamble that paid off: Pulisic scores for Milan every 219 minutes on average, essentially in one out of every three matches.

Nkunku left PSG when he was young and also spent time in Germany, having been the top scorer at RB Leipzig, before joining Chelsea. The figure is nearly identical: €65m went to the Bundesliga side. The path is similar: their success in the Premier League is compromised by a few physical issues.

So, Milan paid a fraction of the price again, this time a bit more at €37m plus bonuses. Like Pulisic, the Frenchman looking for a stable position at Milan with which to get back into form. Like the American, Nkunku comes in at 177cm tall, and can play virtually any forward position.

Christopher is a year older than Christian (28 to 27) and though there are similarities in the path, the former has rather ‘chased’ the latter. Pulisic arrived in Germany in 2015, Nkunku in 2019. Pulisic moved to London in 2019 and left in 2023, when Nkunku arrived.