The Athletic: The problems with Noni Madueke’s personality that mean Chelsea are ready to sell | OneFootball

Noni Madueke’s time at Chelsea looks as close to finished as it’s ever been, with a wave of rumours today backing up chatter from the last week that Arsenal are keen on him.

Both Florian Plettenberg and Fabrizio Romano wrote that personal terms between player and club are close to agreed, although both also agree that Chelsea and Arsenal have yet so sort out the precise terms of the fee.

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Madueke’s flaws undermine obvious talent

Noni Madueke on the attack against Palmeiras. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Madueke has been a divisive player at Chelsea, as Liam Twomey’s piece for the Athletic makes clear. He points out that the winger “always carries himself as if he believes he is the best player on the pitch,” something which is “not always” an asset to the team.

“Repeated attempts to take penalty duties marred his season under Pochettino, and most Chelsea supporters will have noticed that he rarely tries to hide his annoyance when substituted,” Twomey added.

“Pochettino also publicly challenged Madueke to be better in training, while Maresca made what he referred to as a “technical decision” to drop him last season.”

Chelsea already prepared for Madueke departure with recent moves

Chelsea have already begun preparing for the post-Madueke era, and in a way his impending departure explains a lot of their recent business. The Blues have today confirmed the signing of Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, with Estevao Willian about to arrive following Palmeiras’ elimination from the Club World Cup.

Joao Pedro could also be used out wide, and we’ve seen Nicolas Jackson do that in the past before too. Then there’s Geovany Quenda who will arrive next summer. The chances of us signing someone like Mohammed Kudus certainly increase with the departure of Madueke, but even without him we’re pretty well stocked in attacking areas.