Credit Photo – Icon Sport
Noni Madueke, the 21-year-old Chelsea winger, is pulling out all the stops this summer, gearing up for the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as the new manager at Chelsea. Madueke, who shone brightly in the final games of the last season, is expected to play a pivotal role in Pochettino’s plans for the upcoming term.
Pochettino, the former Tottenham boss, is set to officially begin his tenure at Chelsea on July 1, giving him a full pre-season to settle into his role at the Cobham training ground. Meanwhile, the squad has already started to take shape under the 51-year-old manager, with several players expected to depart and numerous others linked with arrivals.
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Madueke’s Extra Efforts
Keen to make a strong impression and secure his place in the team, Madueke has been undertaking additional training sessions. A video shared by Potent Sports showed the Chelsea winger performing a one-versus-one drill, demonstrating his skills by beating a mannequin with a step-over before chipping the on-rushing goalkeeper.
Before Pochettino’s appointment in May, Madueke expressed his excitement about working with the Argentinean manager. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said, “I think he is a good manager. He has been in big places around the world and he was a great success in the Premier League. I am looking forward to working with and learning from him.”
Chelsea’s Plan for Transformation
When asked about Chelsea’s strategy to turn their fortunes around next term, Madueke responded, “Just cohesion and pulling in the right direction. I think next season we need to go back to basics. The new manager needs to come in and everyone needs to get behind him in training for him and Chelsea to be successful and there’s no reason why we can’t be with the talent in his squad.”
Ian Wright’s Expectations
Ian Wright, the former Arsenal striker, anticipates Madueke to make a significant impact in the Premier League if he can perfect his final delivery. Commenting on Match of the Day following Chelsea’s win over Bournemouth, Wright said, “I think today he made the difference. He was very, very good today, gave Vina a lot of problems. The problem with him though, is his final ball. He holds it for too long and he’s going to have to learn quickly to make better decisions in that instance.”
Wright further added, “He’s got this kind of ability to go past people and as time goes by he will feed it into the box, he’ll start to get that in his game, and once he does, Chelsea will have a real prospect on their hands.”
