The case for and against buying Samuel Chukwueze
His loan move felt underwhelming, but it could still be a sensible move for all parties.
We all know the narrative: Samu Chukwueze came back from AFCON a different man. It’s almost true.
Now, the fanbase is cool on the idea of Fulham taking up their option for the 27-year-old Nigerian.
It’s a shame, as Samu started the season brightly and we were all quite excited to have him and Kevin as our winger options during the first half of the campaign.
He was really hitting his stride in the five games prior to leaving for the tournament, with three assists and two goals - both of those coming in our humdinger 4-5 loss to Manchester City. It was a man-of-the-match-winning performance that led George Rossiter to proclaim: “We have to pay the fee and give Milan a little extra as a thank you for showing us a truly special player”.
There was no doubt that Samu left for Morocco in the middle of a hot streak - and we were all buzzing for his return.
He endured a difficult AFCON, missing a penalty in the semi-final shootout against Morocco that saw Nigeria exit the tournament.
But that didn’t stop Samu. He scored on his return to Fulham, drawing us level against Brighton at the Cottage, before Harry Wilson added an injury-time winner.
That victory propelled us to seventh in the league and everything was looking rosy for the Whites and for Chukwueze. Then five days later he loses his mother.
The elephant in the room here is grief. From experience, losing a parent is devastating - and grief can manifest in a variety of different ways. It can also take a while to work through.
Amazingly, he declined to take a break, starting for Fulham at Old Trafford just two days later. Again, there’s no rulebook on how to grieve, but there are certainly mitigating circumstances.
Chukwueze made 12 more appearances after that 3-2 defeat to United, and failed to score or assist in any. He wasn’t even in the squad against Newcastle on the final day and there weren’t many eyelids batted.
Three goals and four assists in 23 league appearances is probably not worth £25m, even in today’s market. But we’ve seen more than a few glimpses of what he’s capable of, and I’m still of the opinion he’s worth bringing in, particularly if reports are to be believed that we’re negotiating the price tag with AC Milan.
Speaking to Jack Kelly last week, Tony Khan said the club still has eyes for him.
“I really like Samuel. We’d have to work with the new coach and sit down and work it out with Milan, but there is interest in Samuel returning.”
The biggest concern about signing him is his age. At 27, there’s little-to-no resale value there if we bring him in permanently. With SCR looming and the need to adapt our recruitment style to targeting younger, uncut gems we can make money on, this doesn’t fit the model.
So you’d want an immediate return on the pitch. If 2025/26 was the warm-up, 26/27 would be time to deliver.
Nigeria famously field to qualify for the World Cup this summer. So Samu’s got time to return home and recharge, to process his grief, and to prepare for a huge season.
Because whether that’s at Craven Cottage, the San Siro, or elsewhere, it’s a pivotal campaign for him as a player and as a human being. I wish him success whatever happens.