Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared just how highly-regarded one member of the Chelsea squad is by the Stamford Bridge hierarchy, following some excellent displays in training at Cobham.
Chelsea preparing for West Ham after victory at Bournemouth
The west Londoners return to action in just two days, as they prepare for a London derby trip to West Ham United and the early Saturday lunchtime kick-off.
Chelsea go into the contest on a promising run of form, with their only defeat of the new season coming courtesy of Premier League champions Man City on the opening weekend.
Since then, Enzo Maresca has guided his side to two wins and a draw, including a convincing 6-2 win over Wolves at Molineux. They were unlucky not to beat Crystal Palace considering they dominated the overall play and created many chances, but Eberechi Eze’s curled equaliser from just outside the penalty area meant they had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
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Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
West Ham (away) |
September 21 |
|
Brighton (home) |
September 28 |
|
Nottingham Forest (home) |
October 6 |
|
Liverpool (away) |
October 20 |
|
Newcastle (home) |
October 27 |
Their first game back from the international break culminated in a hard-fought 1-0 win at Bournemouth last weekend, with summer signing Jadon Sancho laying on an assist for Christopher Nkunku, who won the game with an expertly taken low finish just minutes from added time.
Chelsea were without Malo Gusto through injury, who missed the clash alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia.
However, the good news ahead of their visit to West Ham is that Lavia could return for Chelsea after his hamstring problem, with Dewsbury-Hall and Fernandez back in training as well after their recoveries from illnesses. Gusto is available for Chelsea selection again too, so Maresca has been handed a quadruple injury boost before a tough contest in east London.
There will also be more competition for a place in Maresca’s starting line-up as a result. An array of reports this week have shed light on the Chelsea players who have been most eager to earn Maresca’s favour behind the scenes, with Sancho impressing Chelsea chiefs after going the extra mile to make a good impression at Cobham.
Defender Levi Colwill is also Chelsea’s most consistent trainer right now, according to GiveMeSport, but Romano says another member of the team has been turning heads on the training pitch long before them.
Chelsea chiefs blown away by Noni Madueke in training
Speaking on his YouTube channel this week, the esteemed reporter claims that the player in question is £50,000-per-week winger Noni Madueke.
Romano states that Chelsea have been impressed by Madueke in training, with Blues chiefs believing he is “special” – resulting in the club snubbing interest from Newcastle United this summer.
“It was the end of June, so to be honest, in the confused moment of financial fair play, you remember those days especially with Newcastle very busy trying some swap deals around England to make the financial fair play rules work for them,” said Romano on Newcastle’s summer interest in Madueke.
“So Madueke was one of the main targets for Newcastle, then what happened? After all of that, Chelsea, internally, saw how special Noni Madueke was in training and then in the official games under Enzo Maresca.”
Chelsea have been rewarded for their faith in the 22-year-old Englishman, who’s impressed over his three Premier League appearances so far. Madueke even bagged a stunning hat-trick at Wolves three weeks ago, so it looks as if the ex-PSV Eindhoven starlet could make a real impact this term.
