After a highlight reel of Noni Madueke’s performances for England U21 was released, fans expressed their frustration with Chelsea manager Graham Potter for not utilizing the forward enough.
Despite his team’s difficult season following his move from Brighton, Potter managed to save his job by leading Chelsea to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after being given two games.
However, he faced criticism for a recent “cringey” skit with Ted Lasso on Apple+ that angered Blues fans on two separate occasions, suggesting that even when not playing, Potter struggles to avoid criticism.
With important matches coming up in the Premier League and the Champions League quarterfinals against Real Madrid, Graham Potter may have been hoping for a relatively calm week.
His main concern would have been avoiding injuries to his players during international duty rather than worrying about any new issues that might arise.
However, Chelsea fans noticed Noni Madueke’s impressive performance for England U21s against France, in which he scored a goal and provided two assists.
The highlights of his performance caught the attention of supporters who began to question why Potter was not giving Madueke more playing time at Stamford Bridge, suggesting that the player was being held back by his manager.
Noni Madueke with a goal and 2 assists vs France u21 pic.twitter.com/VCU4ESgDVE
— ۟ (@BSTComps) March 25, 2023
“Chelsea have got a real talent here but Potter is killing him,” claimed one fan.
“And we prioritize Christian Pulisic over him!” said a second.
A third added, “I must say this, all the players we got this season are all good and great players just that we don’t have a good manager to fix these boys and make them blend with the team.”
Another replied, “Nice display but instead, Harry Potter would have him sitting on the bench,” magical stuff.”
“Potter’s killing Chelsea. Best team on paper, but worst on the pitch. It’s so painful,” noted a fifth.
Suggesting that others are ahead of the former PSV player in the pecking order, another posted, “Potter would rather sub on Conor Gallagher.”
“Hope Madueke’s wings won’t be cut by limited playing time at Chelsea and he can fulfill his potential,” argued another supporter.
“Special talent” a final fan simply put it.
Noni Madueke was one of the eight players Chelsea acquired during the January transfer window, having been signed from PSV for a fee of €35 million. However, he has played only four league games so far, with two of them as a substitute.
Paul Merson suggested that Graham Potter might not have been involved in signing all the players in the winter, and if that is indeed the case, Madueke may fall into that category.
Despite his limited game time, Madueke is still only 21 years old, and as a former Tottenham Hotspur youth player, he has plenty of time to prove himself at Stamford Bridge.