What next for Noni Madueke at Chelsea as big summer transfer decision faces £35m attacker

Noni Madueke was one of Chelsea's eight signings in the January transfer window with the club finally signing their long-term target after years of watching the winger. The 21-year-old had been watched by the Blues since the speedy wide man left Tottenham as a teenager. He had offers to stay in England but he made the brave decision to move abroad and ply his trade in the Netherlands. Madueke really flourished in the Eredivisie, scoring 11 goals in 51 appearances in the Dutch top-flight during his three-and-a-half years there. Chelsea ended up taking what can be described as a gamble when they signed him in January for around £35million. He was, and is, viewed as one very much for the future but surely everyone is a tad surprised at how little time he has had on the pitch as we approach the end of the season.

The England Under-21 international has featured just five times in all competitions since signing for the club – being on the pitch for just 215 minutes. Graham Potter, when he was in charge at Chelsea, often preferred others from the bench when making changes, with the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Christian Pulisic often being chosen instead.

But the end of the season could be crucial in Madueke's Chelsea career. With the amount of attackers the Blues already have in their squad and the likes of Christopher Nkunku – and possibly others – to join in the summer, Madueke will be hoping to have the chance to show what he's about in the first-team between now and the end of May.

Otherwise a loan move could be on the cards for Madueke for the 2023/24 season. It's what would be best for his career should whoever is appointed the new head coach not have him high up the pecking order either. However, we've seen plenty of times in the past players move on loan from Chelsea and it blocks their route back into the first-team at Stamford Bridge.

Now that there isn't anything actually meaningful for Chelsea to play for this season, it is an opportunity for Frank Lampard to play some of the underused members of the squad. Madueke certainly falls into that category and he can hopefully remind people of the frightening talent he has at his disposal.

It's almost like some people have forgotten – and they can be forgiven because of the lack of football he has played – just how much potential Madueke has. There's not exactly attacking players at Chelsea right now who have to keep their place in the first-team because of their performances lately. If you ask the majority of Chelsea supporters what they would like to see for the remainder of the campaign, they would tell you they want to see the likes of Madueke given a chance.

If that isn't the case and he remains on the sidelines, then it may make the club consider loaning him out when the summer transfer window opens.

Comments

Inter have made the asking price clear for wingback Denzel Dumfries during the summer transfer window clear, with incoming Chelsea coach eyeing up a move for the Dutch World Cup star.

This according to Italian news outlet Repubblica.it, who report that the 27-year-old is a major target for the Argentine who is expected to take over at Stamford Bridge, and that the Nerazzurri would expect a fee of at least €40 million for his signature. Dumfries’s future at Inter has looked uncertain for some time now, with the 26-year-old former PSV man having been strongly linked as a possible sale during the summer transfer window should the Nerazzurri need to bring in cash from the market. The likes of Chelsea and Manchester United have been reported to be interested, whilst Barcelona have reportedly also enquired about the Dutchman for the summer transfer window. However, in March Gianluca Di Marzio reported that Dumfries is no longer a major target for Chelsea as he had been in the past. The situation at Stamford Bridge has been in flux, however, with Graham Potter removed as head coach just a few months after taking over, replaced with Frank Lampard on an interim basis.

Blues are OUT of the Champions League as the defending champions prove too strong with ruthless Rodrygo scoring twice to cruise into semi-finals

Frank Lampard has become the first Chelsea manager in the club's 118-year history to lose his first four games in charge. Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge on April 6 for a short-term spell until the end of the season following the dismissal of Graham Potter. However, matters certainly haven't gone to plan so far, and Lampard has now broken an unwanted record, as reported by The Mirror. Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Wolves in Lampard's first game of his second stint in charge and that was followed by a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Last weekend Chelsea lost 2-1 at home to Brighton in the league and then on Tuesday they were eliminated from the Champions League with another 2-0 gloss against Real Madrid. Following that, the Blues have fixtures against Arsenal, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle. It is the first time that Chelsea have lost four consecutive matches in all competiti...

Chelsea will express their interest in signing Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana during their upcoming meeting with Inter Milan over Romelu Lukaku’s future, according to Evening Standard.

The newspaper claims Blues’ officials will travel to Italy next week to discuss the future of Lukaku, who is due to return to Chelsea in the summer when his loan deal expires at the end of the season. The Belgium striker moved to Inter on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea last summer and has impressed at the San Siro Stadium, scoring nine goals and registering three assists in 26 appearances across all competitions. The West Londoners are planning a summer clear-out in order to meet the Financial Fair Play requirements after spending £323m in the winter transfer window on eight new players as well as splashing out close to £300m last summer. However, bringing in a shot-stopper could be on the cards as they look to bolster their squad for next season. Edouard Mendy is expected to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the campaign after losing his first team place. The Senegal international has featured in only 11 games in all competitions having been hampered by in...

Lampardcfc

Search This Blog