Fabrizio Romano’s latest transfer column for CaughtOffside has some interesting reporting on a man whose future feels quite uncertain at the moment.
It shouldn’t be this way – Noni Madueke had his best run of form in a Chelsea shirt to close out the season, and should now be sitting with his feet up, thinking ahead to a crucial second full season at the club. He earned the trust and appreciation of Mauricio Pochettino after a long slog, but now the Argentine is gone, and things could get even worse for Noni.
All the chatter is about Michael Olise coming to join the Blues this summer, and plenty of those who write the transfer rumours have come to the same conclusion – that Madueke would have to go if Olise comes in.
That has been refuted in other places, with some pointing out that Chelsea want “two stars in every position.” But there’s no denying it would make things very crowded in attack. So what does the guru himself think?
Fabrizio’s take on Madueke
“Madueke is an important player for Chelsea, so there is really nothing concrete on his future so far. We will see if something changes in the next weeks, but for now Juventus are also focused on the Douglas Luiz swap deal with Aston Villa,” Romano wrote in response to whispers that the Old Lady could be keen on the former PSV winger.
This aligns perfectly with that we’ve heard from elsewhere about Madueke being considered an important part of the squad going forward. The problem then is who moves on – if Cole Palmer plays more centrally, that just creates an overload in that part of the squad instead.
On the left, Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling appear to be impossible to sell – it’s a real head scratcher.