Samuel Chukwueze: Rediscovering his Groove

Since moving to AC Milan from Villarreal for €20 million in the summer of 2023, Samuel Chukwueze has gone through a difficult patch, culminating in the Serie A giants loaning the Super Eagles winger to Fulham in the last summer transfer window. However, his move to Craven Cottage does not seem to be making any difference in the dwindling form of the Nigerian. Interestingly, the last three weeks have made a big difference on the Europa Cup winner, as he seems to have found back his Mojo

Samuel Chukwueze was on fire in Fulham’s 5-4 loss to Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Tuesday, scoring two goals off the bench as he opened his Premier League account.

The AC Milan loanee has been in good form over the last three games, bagging two goals and two assists, and this pleased Fulham’s head coach, Marco Silva.

The Portuguese manager lauded the Nigerian forward in Fulham’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, while his club and national teammate, Alex Iwobi chimed in, nicknaming him ‘Chuwku-magic’.

His performance on Tuesday night was no less inspiring, as he lifted his teammates as Fulham knocked on City’s doors for an equaliser that never came. Still, Marco Silva was delighted with the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup winner.

“He’s already making an impact. Last Saturday, he did it,” the former Watford head coach said in his post-match presser.

The reeling effect of Chukwueze’s good form means Silva’s good work on the fleet-footed player could be undone in a few weeks.

He’s created goals and now found the back of the net himself, but the Fulham manager is sad he’ll lose one of his jokey cards to the African Cup of Nations, AFCON tournament.

“Chukwu is just showing his quality; he has quality on the right and on the left. He can make the right decisions as well.

“He’s getting better and better. Unfortunately, we’re going to lose him in 15 days time like it was three times in the last three months, but it is what it is, and till then we have to get the best from him and let’s hope we can do it on Sunday again,” Silva concluded.

Chukwueze equally praised Fulham for their fighting spirit in their 5-4 defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday night.

The Nigeria international came from the bench to net twice for the Londoners but that could not help them from losing to Pep Guardiola’s men.

After the game, the former Villarreal star lauded his team’s effort while focusing on their next fixture against Crystal Palace.

“It was a crazy game today,” Chukwueze said post-match.

“We conceded goals we shouldn’t have conceded but I liked the spirit of the team for the comeback.

“The chances we created in the second half were almost there. It was a difficult one to take because we wanted three wins in a row and it didn’t happen, but we’ll keep our heads up. We fought until the last minute and on Sunday against Crystal Palace we’re going to give everything for the fans.”

“Samuel Chukwueze’s time in Milan has not been very consistent,” Nigeria legend Mutiu Adepoju said earlier this year. “He needs to work harder because if you leave Milan and go somewhere else and still have the same level of performance, that would be a huge mistake.

“He needs to work more so that he can get into the team and play consistently, and from there, his career will go up.”

It was a sentiment shared by Chukwueze himself, who acknowledged during the summer that he’d failed to live up to his own standards during his second campaign in Lombardy.

No Fulham player created more goalscoring opportunities during the course of the contest than Chukwueze, while no one on the pitch completed more successful dribbles than the Super Eagles winger.

However, Silva deserves credit for deploying the winger in an unfamiliar role on the left-hand side, where his desire to cut on his right foot and tear at goal struck fear into Spurs hearts.

Following on from his decisive assist against Tottenham last weekend – a late moment of inspiration to set up Raúl Jiménez for the winner, Chukwueze has finally regained a measure of momentum again in a career that has threatened to run out of steam.

Still only 26, this is the first time the winger has registered direct goal contributions in consecutive matches since October 2024, with the wideman increasingly losing his sense of direction at parent club AC Milan.

Moving to AC Milan from Villarreal for €20 million in July 2023 represented a significant step up for the youngster. However, his time in Italy was not an unbridled success. Given the fee, the expectations, and Chukwueze’s promise, a contribution of four goals and five assists across two Serie A campaigns is a poor return.

Admittedly, the winger never truly had the trust of Milan’s head coaches over the last two seasons, making just 21 league starts since his arrival, with hamstring and thigh injuries leading to frequent spells on the sidelines while preventing him from consistently establishing himself in the Rossoneri’s starting XI.

The context at the club, where coaches Stefano Pioli, Paulo Fonseca, Sergio Conceicao and Massimiliano Allegri all held the reins between Chukwueze’s arrival and his loan move to Fulham, has hardly helped, with the Nigerian having to adapt to different styles, varied approaches on the training round and the general drift of transition during these challenging years.

Regardless of the head coaches, there’s a sense that his playing style was never a perfect fit for Italian football either, with Chukwueze struggling to find the space he needed to operate, and lacking the subtly or creativity in the final third to prise open more dogged defences.

Once upon a time, he was one of the most eye-catching wingers in Spain, while his five goal contributions in 11 Europa League games in 2020-21, en route to the title, set him apart as one of the bright prospects to watch across Europe’s major leagues.

Chukwueze also alluded to his difficult time at AC Milan.

“Last season is something we don’t really want to talk about,” he began, as per Tribuna.

“It was a bad season for the Milan fans and for everyone involved. Honestly, it’s one of the worst seasons of my professional career.”

In the aftermath of Chukwueze’s performance against Spurs – a showing that earned him a first PL Man of the Match award – Iwobi was quick to heap praise onto his compatriot.

“He is energetic on and off the pitch,” the ex-Everton man told Sky Sports. “We are happy to have him. You can see the magic he does on the field. He’s a great addition to the club. We want to give him the confidence and the license to enjoy football.

“’Chukwu-magic’ – that’s his nickname on the training field,” Iwobi added. “He’s able to do it in training, he’s able to do it in matches. As long as he remains consistent, that’s the main thing for him.”

Chukwueze couldn’t contain his joy after the match, appearing a player rejuvenated and revived as the confidence that steadily evaporated during those years in Italy seeps back into his system.

“I love the nickname,” he responded. “As long as it’s working, I love it.

“I wasn’t expecting to start today, but I’ve been training hard, been focused, the last months have been difficult but I keep my head down, keep working, and today I took the opportunity.

“Iwobi and Calvin Bassey are the ones who always pushed me more in training,” he added. “It works, telling me ‘keep your head down, keep working, it’s going to come’, so it motivates me a lot.”

Consistency, as Iwobi noted, is clearly the big question mark hanging over Chukwueze in the coming months.