Noni Madueke insists he can be Chelsea’s answer on the right wing after they missed out on signing Michael Olise from Crystal Palace, with the Enzo Maresca era beginning with a disappointing draw to League One Wrexham in Santa Clara.
Chelsea had to come from behind to avoid losing Maresca’s first game in charge, though the 44-year-old Italian was at pains to remind us he was only two weeks into his tenure.
Lesley Ugochukwu’s late equaliser ensured it ended 2-2, with this friendly turning unfriendly when Levi Colwill and James McClean engaged in a furious fight after clashing.
With Cole Palmer expected to be moved to a more central position under Maresca, Madueke feels he can handle the heat on the right. As well as Christopher Nkunku and Angelo Gabriel, the 22-year-old is set to face further competition when Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian joins Chelsea from Palmeiras next summer upon turning 18.
Speaking after facing Wrexham, Madueke said: ‘Of course, I believe in my ability. We've got a great team full of great players. Players who can play in different positions. It's always good to have a team like that. I try to do my best and see what happens.
Noni Madueke insists he can be the answer for Chelsea on the right wing this season
‘It's competition. Competition happens at top clubs all the time. It's just one of those. It’s not anything different or peculiar. It is what it is. I feel good. New manager. New tactical ideas. It will take a little time to fully get that over to the boys but from what I've seen so far, it's promising. It's a different style of play but one I feel we're well suited to.
‘It's about staying high and waiting for that killer pass when you can go and do real damage. It's about being patient and waiting for the opportunity to run and do my stuff. That's the discipline that the manager wants and if the manager wants that, then I'll do it. Simple.’
Enzo Fernandez is in line to rejoin the Chelsea squad this Monday after sparking a racism storm with the video he uploaded to Instagram showing himself and fellow Argentinian players singing a highly controversial song about France.
On how they will handle the return of their £106.8million team-mate, Madueke said: ‘That's something that's between us players. Enzo is going to come back and join his team again and everything is going to be fine.’