He already has 5 goal contributions this campaign and is looking to add more to his tally as the season progresses. Enzo Maresca made some pretty exciting comments about Noni Madueke where he labelled him as 'inconsistent' in training. While there have been instances of players taking such kind of a take in negative light, Madueke seemed to have taken it well and stated that he is determined to prove his abilities to Maresca as the season progresses.
What has led to the improvement in Noni Madueke's game ?
Noni Madueke came into Chelsea as a highly touted player from PSV Eindhoven. He had put up decent numbers for the Dutch side, but the young winger had a few problems adjusting to life in the Premier League. Noni came into the club at a time when the dressing room was full of unhappy players.
Although he came in a little lower in the pecking order, Frank Lampard saw a spark in him and gave the youngster a run of games towards the end of the 2022-23 season. He made 12 appearances in the Premier, but managed to score only one goal. However, much cannot be made of this as no one in the Blues seemed to particularly shine in this period.
The following season under Mauricio Pochettino was a much better one for Madueke. Although he did raise some eyebrows with the penalty incident against Everton, Pochettino knew that he had a good player in Noni. He gave him a lot of chances and the youngster showed a lot of positivity which led to the club ending the season with five wins on the trot.
The 2024-25 season was always going to be a big one for Noni as it was his second full season with the club. There were rumours that the Blues were trying to sell him to balance their books as he was a player that they were expected to make some kind of profit on. However, his performance in preseason convinced Maresca that he is a man that the club needs.
One aspect of Madueke's game that has massively improved in Madueke's game is his decision-making. Despite having gotten on the scoresheet 8 times in the league last season, he seemed to struggle to know when to make the pass or finish. This season, the winger has showcased that he has improved that facet of the game and a testament to this was his assist to Harry Kane for the second goal against Finland.
Having made a brilliant run to get on the end of a Trent Alexander-Arnold pass, Madueke drove into the box and found his captain there who put the pull brilliantly at the back of the net. If the young winger continues doing what he has done so far this season, he could add a lot of goal contributions this season.
While this could certainly help him keep his place in the Chelsea starting lineup, Madueke could find himself as a regular in the Three Lions squad, which would be great for his national team career considering that the 2026 World Cup is just two years away.