Chelsea need to offload forgotten man who earns 2x more than Madueke

The chaos continues at Chelsea amid the growing chasm between Todd Boehly and Clearlake, yet on the field, it looks as if things are beginning to take shape under Enzo Maresca.

While the Blues were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace last time out, Maresca’s men were simply scintillating away at Molineux a week earlier, hitting six past a helpless Wolverhampton Wanderers side.

That eventual 6-2 thrashing saw talisman Cole Palmer get on the scoresheet once again while claiming a hat-trick of assists, with all three of those key passes teeing up his compatriot Noni Madueke – who took his account to four for the season in all competitions.

The former PSV Eindhoven starlet was duly rewarded for that strong start to the campaign with a first senior England call-up last week, before going on to make his presence felt on debut after registering an assist for Harry Kane’s second against Finland on Tuesday night.

With his ex-England U21 boss Lee Carsley now at the helm, Madueke – who scored seven goals in 20 games at that age group – will be hoping to cement a regular place for himself in the Three Lions squad, having begun to find his feet following a tricky start to life in west London.

In stark contrast to the rising 22-year-old, one youngster who seemingly couldn’t be any further from establishing himself for both Chelsea and the senior England side is Carney Chukwuemeka, with the former Aston Villa man now something of a forgotten figure at Stamford Bridge.

Chukwuemeka’s record at Chelsea

Signed from Villa Park for a hefty fee in the region of £20m back in the summer of 2022, having been a mere teenager at the time, the now 20-year-old has endured a turbulent last two years in the capital, having struggled to cement a regular role for himself under a succession of managers.

To date, the promising playmaker has made just 27 appearances in all competitions for the club, while registering just two goals and a solitary assist in that time – hardly an inspiring return.

Hampered by a string of injuries ever since making the move from the Midlands – having made just 16 first-team appearances for the Villans – Chukwuemeka has had to endure a stop-start stint at the Bridge, with it difficult to see that situation changing any time soon.

While the suggestion is – as per The Athletic – that the midfielder will be reintegrated into Maresca’s bloated first-team squad, the Italian did previously hint that the £20m man may find it difficult to gain regular minutes if he were to stay put at the club.

With interest looming from clubs in Turkey, it would be wise for Boehly and co to sanction his departure, ensuring that a costly figure is shifted from the wage bill.

Chukwuemeka’s wage at Chelsea

Yet to feature at all so far this season across all fronts, the Austrian-born talent will face a real fight for game time if he does stay put until January, with the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia already battling for those midfield berths.

The prospect of Chukwuemeka wasting away on the bench or even in the stands on a weekly basis is far from the ideal situation for all parties, particularly considering the financial impact it would have were he to remain in Maresca’s ranks.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

As per Capology, the England youth international is said to be raking in an eye-watering £100k-per-week salary, placing him alongside the likes of Levi Colwill, Mykhailo Mudryk and Jadon Sancho who also take home the same wage.

For comparison, the aforementioned Madueke is reported to be on just £50k-per-week at present, despite the fact that the one-time Tottenham Hotspur academy asset is now a valued first-team presence under the former Leicester City boss.

While far from being the highest earner at the club, the fact that Chukwuemeka – through no fault of his own, it must be said – is taking home such a mammoth pay packet is rather head-scratching, with a solution needing to be found sooner rather than later.

In an ideal world, the 6 foot 2 ace would go out and enjoy a temporary stint elsewhere to help reinvigorate his career, while in a financial sense, any interested party could potentially take on a share of his salary.

Equally, if the club could recoup anywhere close to the £20m fee that they paid for him initially via a permanent exit, that would also seemingly be a wise decision to take.

With limited windows still open across the globe, however, time is running out for either scenario to occur…