Enzo Maresca likely to be behind £50m move for winger that may prove a mistake for Chelsea | OneFootball

Noni Madueke’s move to Arsenal seems to be creeping ever closer.

We heard over the weekend from top sources like Fabrizio Romano that he had agreed personal terms, and bit by bit it sounds like the clubs are getting closer to agreeing a transfer fee.

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Why Chelsea are willing to let regular starter go

Noni Madueke shrugs off a defender. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

If Chelsea weren’t interested in selling, this deal would not have got this far. Arsenal would not have been talking personal terms with the winger had they not been given indications by Chelsea that a deal can be done.

This raises the question that a lot of Blues fans have been asking over the weekend – why are Chelsea looking to sell off a player who has become an important, regular starter for them, to a league rival? In his piece for Football.London yesterday, Tom Coley tried to figure that out.

Madueke deal feels like one driven by Maresca

As Coley points out, this is not an offer so big that Chelsea can’t afford to refuse it. The sums being talked about – around £50m – are not so vast they’re irresistible. So why accept and sell a first team regular?

Well, Chelsea want to make an easy profit on a player they signed for £35m in January 2023. But as many point out, is developing a player for 2 and a half years and then selling them for £15m really a worthwhile move?

It seems more that it’s a case of Enzo Maresca making it clear that the winger is not really to his liking, and those upstairs trying to make the best of that situation, than it being a deal driven by the suits looking to make a  profit.