Noni Madueke to be dropped? Maresca addresses brewing feud

Cameron Smith

• 11 Nov 2024 12:15 GMT
• 4 min read

Noni Madueke has been slammed by Chelsea fans for his attitude against Arsenal, but Enzo Maresca has insisted that he has no issue with the 22-year-old.

Madueke was angered by his substitution in the 67th minute at Stamford Bridge and he headed straight down the tunnel, despite no indication of an injury.

The England international was replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk and Chelsea found an equaliser just moments later, with Pedro Neto cutting onto his stronger left foot and firing an emphatic effort past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

READ MORE: Pedro Neto has caused Chelsea a MAJOR problem

After the game, Maresca was asked about Madueke’s reaction, but the Italian was keen to stress there was no tension between the pair.

“When you change a player, they are never happy,” Maresca said in his post-match press conference.

“Probably the only way to be happy is like the Wolves game, when he scored a hat-trick and we changed him, so he was happy.

READ MORE: Man Utd want Chelsea star Maresca called his ‘BEST PLAYER’

“It’s not only about Noni, it’s about all the players. It’s a good thing because they want to be there until the end.

“But in that moment we saw it in a different way. We thought Pedro, against [Jurrien] Timber, could be a bit more aggressive, and with Misha [Mykhailo Mudryk] also. It was a tactical decision, no more than that.”

Madueke only has one goal contribution in his last 11 appearances for Chelsea and he is at risk of losing his place in Maresca’s first-choice starting XI amid competition from the likes of Mudryk, Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix.

What have Chelsea fans said about Noni Madueke?

While Maresca was eager to dissipate any rumours of a feud with Madueke, Chelsea fans haven’t been so forgiving with the England winger.

Following his performance against Arsenal and his reaction after being substituted, a number of Blues supporters were quick to criticise the ex-PSV star on social media.