In mid-December, Chelsea moved within touching distance of leaders Liverpool after beating Brentford 2-1 in the Premier League. However, Enzo Maresca was quick to dispel claims that his team were title challengers.
Such words were met as being overly pragmatic, but there has been a fair bit of prescience through a number of the Italian’s comments, also calling for more productivity from his forwards to ease the burden on Cole Palmer’s shoulders.
Palmer, so effortlessly untouchable last season, has been in the mire over the past few months, with Saturday’s victory over Everton taking his goalless run to 17 matches in all competitions.
The England international will be back in the limelight before long, and no mistake, such is his top-grade quality. Maresca, in any case, has proven himself to be an expert tactician, albeit a tad set in his ways.
But he is open to change, which was perfectly illustrated by the decision to unleash Noni Madueke on the left wing at the weekend.
Noni Madueke's new role
Madueke has ebbed and flowed for Chelsea this season, starting off to a flyer but peeling away in recent months, only scoring twice across 13 recent Premier League outings.
He didn’t score, nor did he claim an assist, but Madueke was an absolute menace up and down that left channel, darting this way and that while getting stuck in to win balls off his opponents and beat them in the duel.
Minutes played
78′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots (on target)
4 (4)
Accurate passes
20/25 (80%)
Key passes
0
Dribbles
4/6
Duels won
9/13
Tackles
2
Maresca will also have been pleased to note that the left-footer managed to hit the target with all four of his efforts on goal, certainly suggesting he could find himself featuring in this new role with regularity over the closing weeks.
The London Standard were impressed, giving the 23-year-old an 8/10 match rating after his excellent display, noting that he terrorised Toffees right-back Nathan Patterson throughout the afternoon.
This is all well and good, especially with Jadon Sancho not quite hitting his full stride and Mykhaylo Mudryk remaining unavailable for selection, but it’s not going to change Chelsea’s approach this summer.
The Londoners want a new left-sided winger, and they may well be circling in on an upgrade on Madueke.
Chelsea make contact for new winger
As per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea have made contact with Jamie Gittens’ management team as they look to complete a deal this summer.
Prepared to double the Borussia Dortmund prospect’s salary, Chelsea appear to have found the perfect player to strengthen their wide flanks, especially since the Bundesliga club would be willing to do business.
Former €100m (£87m) demands have been whittled down given sixth-place Dortmund’s struggles this season, with Chelsea confident they can get a deal done for €60m (£51m).
Why Chelsea should sign Jamie Gittens
A product of Manchester City’s youth academy, Gittens left his homeland and signed for Bor. Dortmund in 2020, when he was just 16.
It was a bold move, but one that has paid dividends for a rising talent now regarded as “England’s best winger in 2024/25” by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley, having made prolific headway this season.
24/25
45 (33)
12
5
23/24
34 (18)
2
8
22/23
20 (5)
3
1
21/22
4 (1)
0
0
Now 20, Gittens has added goals to his name, having demonstrated his creative flair in the past, and it’s frightening to think that he’s still so young.
The addition of goals to his game makes for a nice showcase, but Gittens’ nuts and bolts derive from his athleticism, his pace and running power. As per FBref, he ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 2% for successful take-ons per 90.
His goalscoring sense, combined with the ferocious wheels, make Gittens a contender for superstardom down the line. It’s not out of the question to claim that he’s already performing above Madueke’s level, something echoed by the aforementioned Critchley.
Having outscored his compatriot, Gittens has also averaged 2.7 dribbles and won 5.2 duels per Bundesliga game this term, as per Sofascore.
These are skills that bespeak a successful career in the Premier League, with Madueke recording inferior metrics: 1.3 dribbles and 3.3 successful duels per fixture.
Gittens really does have the world at his feet, with his ball-striking catered toward various angles, capable of arcing efforts across goal or angling strikes into the close corner.
His quick feet and intelligent touches allow him to connect with teammates and burst through the lines to find space in the danger area. This is something which could work a treat with Palmer, whose central influence would appear to be perfect for such a darting wide partner.
He’s also proven himself in the Champions League, actually praised by Fabrizio Romano earlier in the campaign for his “special” game against Club Brugge to kick off the term, bagging twice off the bench in a 3-0 win.
The £49k-per-week prospect has everything in his locker to become a top-performing star for Maresca’s Chelsea, bearing a ball-playing capacity and smartness on the ball that echoes that of Madueke while developing a goalscoring sense that could tip the odds in his favour as he strives for that regular starting berth in the years to come at Stamford Bridge.
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