The Athletic’s summary of Premier League clubs’ transfer situations this morning had an interesting line for Chelsea fans in the Newcastle section.
They wrote that “Noni Madueke… is among options discussed” by the Magpies as they look for a right winger this summer.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard such a rumour mentioned – back in June we heard that the England U21 winger had been “discussed internally” at the North East club.
Clearly if Chelsea were looking to sell, they’d have an interested part in Newcastle. But would the two ever be able to agree on a fee? Chelsea paid £29m and it’s hard to see them getting more than that now.
A curious position for talent to be in
Madueke’s position is a slightly curious one now. At one point it seemed very likely that Chelsea were going to sign Michael Olise, and at that point all sorts of briefs were coming out that we still wanted Madueke and that he was going to be a second top option alongside Olise on the right wing.
But the fact that the Olise deal collapsed and these exit rumours about Madueke are continuing shows that perhaps those briefs were simply to protect his value and to keep him happy while the club figured out whether they could bring Olise in.
We certainly saw some good flashes from Madueke towards the end of last season, and it would be crazy to write him off altogether. But the sum of his 18 months at Chelsea isn’t too impressive, and most fans would be lying if they said they were convinced he’s ready to be a world class player.
If Newcastle really did make their interest serious, we’re not sure there would be too much dissent around Stamford Bridge – assuming a top player came in to replace him.
