LEIPZIG - A return home can feel like a comforting moment. The surroundings are familiar. Even if you've been away for years, the look of your bedroom is the same. But it can also come with pressure, especially when you're someone like RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku, who left Germany on top of the world while becoming the Bundesliga player of the year, winning a golden boot and also winning the DFB Pokal twice. It's clear both when people around the club speak about Nkunku as well as when seeing how players react as he gazes on during training. This is no longer a young player looking to make a name for himself, this is someone who has reached the highs of the game and returns to Leipzig with a point to prove after time at Chelsea and Milan.
Speaking to Nkunku, he understands that as he rounds into his prime in a team that generally signs young players, it's also important for him to take on more of a leadership role this time around as RB Leipzig return to Champions League play following a summer of change. Yan Diomande has left for Real Madrid, and with club legend Peter Gulacsi heading to Villarreal, there's a leadership void in the squad that Nkunku can help fill. Not much has changed for him at the club since he departed, but this was the best scenario for him to come into when everything aligned for his return, even if there are risks involved with those expectations.
"When I was young, a lot of old players taught me and gave me some advice, and even today, I think about this advice," Nkunku said during a roundtable. "So, this is my role now, and this is something that I need to work on, but at the moment, I'm a new player. Even if I know the club, I need to understand and also know my teammates, so this is a process and I'll work on it."
On the field, he has hit the ground running with one goal and two assists so far since returning. He got to blow up his first balloon in a 5-0 victory over Hamburg and while leading by speaking is something that is new to Nkunku, leading by example is nothing new for a player who has been a central figure at Leipzig or any other club. He has a goal of getting back into the French national team under new manager Zinedine Zidane, but the experiences that have come from being at Chelsea and Milan are things that will help to bring younger players along, especially after the experience that he had. Nkunku described the Chelsea move as one where it didn't have the right timing, and given his struggles while with the club, that does make sense. The struggles continued at Milan where the playing style wasn't something that suited him.
Getty Images "In the Bundesliga they play with intensity and it's like more of a game with transition in attack and defense, and that's why you have a lot of goals in some games...," Nkunku said. "In Italy, I think the team played to not concede goals, so it's more defensive. I think even the squad, maybe if they won 1-0 or scored the first goal, after it's complicated to score, even the team who scored the first one, they don't think about scoring the second goal, so it's very difficult."
That description of his time in Milan is a depiction of how tough it can be for someone to perform in multiple leagues. But this is also the kind of stuff that he can pass down to others in the squad. Members of the Leipzig squad are able to learn about what could be next from people like Nkunku when he has been there and done that in the Bundesliga and beyond. Playing in the Champions League now is a new frontier, and he can help others in the club get ready for what it means especially when a bounce back is needed after a rough start to the league phase, falling to Como.
CBS Sports "We need to find a good balance between young players, and if you see there are not many players over 23, so it was a good move for Christopher," Managing director for sport Marcel Schafer said. "The door was closed for almost the whole transfer market, and then it was open for a loan, and it was our only chance to sign Christopher, and he is like a massive signing for us regarding his supportive qualities, no doubt about it, but on the other hand we were so convinced by his character, his attitude, his behavior and willingness to work, and that was the key to say we should bring him back because in Germany, it's like if you bring a player back, the chance that they'll be successful is low."
The mention of character is a critical one here because, when looking around the club with new management and new players everywhere, if they didn't bring in players who fit the system, then it would all go up in flames before long. Nkunku acknowledged how his own personality has changed and how he's more ready to take on leadership positions now, which is where it makes sense that he has a good shot at defying the odds, with the club having expectations of back-to-back seasons in Champions League play even after this season.
"I know his quality is great and I'm happy he's able to get into scoring and hopefully he will score a lot of goals this season so I'm really happy for him," Antonio Nusa said.
He doesn't need to be the Bundesliga player of the year anymore, but when moving on from Diomande and others, if Nkunku can be even half of that, RB Leipzig will be in for a strong season. Embracing the pressure will help with both the club and Nkunku achieving their goals, and who knows, it may even lead to this loan back to Germany being a permanent return. So far, he has struck the right balance, and now is the time to show that there's more to come while pushing RB Leipzig through Champions League play, which could also even lead to a France recall.
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