Chelsea legend and former manager Frank Lampard has named three players, who were signed by the club in January to come good for the team next season.
Those names are – Enzo Fernandez (22), Mykhaylo Mudryk (22) and Noni Madueke (21). Fernandez arrived from Benfica, while Mudryk was signed from Shakhtar Donetsk and Madueke from PSV Eindhoven.
Although we saw bits and pieces from the former and what he is all about, the latter two took some time to settle down in the team. In the last part of the season, Madueke started showing that he belongs to this squad and could be a superstar in the making.
Here’s what Lampard, who took over the interim role for the last few games of the season, said on this topic (h/t Diary of a CEO Podcast, via Metro):
“I think some of the younger players, with a new voice (under Mauricio Pochettino) will now have a greater chance to show what they’ve got. They’re talented players. If you’re asking five, six or seven players to come in and hit the ground running, it’s tough. Especially as it was a difficult moment for the club. But players like Enzo Fernandez, Mudryk and Madueke are going to develop and be big players for the club.”
Notably, none of them were signed by the English tactician but he did manage them in the closing few weeks of last season. If Lampard’s words turn out to be true, Chelsea will have three positions sorted for the coming years – one part of the central midfield, the right and left wing.
The club should focus on adding a midfielder to partner Fernandez there. Mudryk would get competition from the likes of Raheem Sterling and Christopher Nkunku for his position in the team.
Madueke, on the other hand, will be the only left-footed winger in the squad if Hakim Ziyech leaves the club, which is on the expected lines.
The one common factor with these players is that they are young. Mauricio Pochettino likes to work with young players and develop them into world-beaters.
The Argentine should take this as a challenge and try to convert these talented players into consistently-performing machines. It will take time and the manager should be given that at the least.
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