Chelsea change stance on Noni Madueke sale

Chelsea are no longer prepared to entertain an exit for winger Noni Madueke after being impressed by the 22-year-old’s off-field development, 90min understands.

Two incidents of Madueke arguing with teammates over penalty duties last season against Everton and in pre-season had contributed to questions over the winger’s maturity and attitude, leading some inside Chelsea to welcome offers for his services earlier this summer.

Newcastle United made their interest clear but refused to offer Chelsea the chance to make a profit on Madueke, instead looking to pay around £30m.

After the 6-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, in which Madueke scored a hat-trick, Maresca was keen to move on from the winger’s accidental social media criticism of the city of Wolverhampton, and instead highlighted Madueke’s work rate and selflessness during the game as evidence of his positive development.

“I can judge Noni’s performance, and it has been fantastic, not only in the second half, but also in the first half,” Maresca said.

“Since day one I said that he’s the kind of winger I really like, he’s working really hard with us. The best thing was the way he defended, after 90 minutes when Wolves had a counter-attack out there he was tracking back.

“The mentality I’m demanding from the players, he’s delivering.”

Madueke, who also scored in the Conference League qualifying clash with Servette, now has four goals in his first two games this season, having netted eight times in 34 outings last year.

Former Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino had some doubts about Madueke’s ability to provide consistent goal contributions, but Maresca is understood to see him as a strong fit. The fact Chelsea failed to land Michael Olise, and both Pedro Neto and Joao Felix are comfortable on the left, coupled with Madueke’s strong form, should provide the England Under-21 international with further opportunities this season.

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