Noni Madueke believes Chelsea are starting to “take shape” under Mauricio Pochettino and has backed team-mate Romeo Lavia to help take the team to another level next season.
Chelsea enter the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday with the chance to secure fifth place after four consecutive wins, which has given them the opportunity to finish a difficult campaign on top.
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In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Madueke said: “We have had great results and also great performances. I feel like the team is starting to take shape.”
“We're starting to really play for each other, work hard for each other and just enjoy the games.
“That was the feeling I had in the last game, especially that we were enjoying ourselves and we have to try to keep this momentum going to finish the season strong and start the next season strong as well.”
Discussing Pochettino's impact on his own game, Madueke said: “For me, I would say he is very real, very straight to the point. I think he genuinely wants to help you and he has a clear way of how he is going to do it.” , which I admire about him.
“It's certainly helped me this season from the beginning. If you look at where I was at the beginning and where I am now in terms of my game. So it's helped me a lot to develop a certain mentality in me that allows me to perform.”
Lavia joined Chelsea from Southampton in a £58 million ($74 million) deal last August, but the 20-year-old has only made one appearance (playing 32 minutes in the 2-1 home win over Crystal Palace in December) due to a hamstring injury and thigh injuries.
He will also miss Sunday's home game against Bournemouth.
“I don't want to say that I feel like anyone is going to be better than anyone else. However, I am very excited to see Romeo play next season. He has a lot of skill and it has been unfortunate for him this season to be out for so long.” for a long time,” Madueke said.
“But I remember when he played against Southampton, he was exceptional. I'm really excited to see him. He's a top player and he just needs time. He's been injured for a whole season. He's still very young, so it's not really about putting “There's a lot of pressure on him, just letting him grow and develop at his own pace, but he has elite talent and a good mentality as well.”
Madueke, a £30 million ($38 million) signing from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, also cited the influence of Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé, who will join Madrid after leaving Paris Saint -Germain free this summer. -among other things, to help develop his own game after a positive end to the campaign in which he has registered two goals and two assists in the last five games.
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“The main [inspiration] of course it was [Cristiano] Ronaldo, it was probably when I was a little bit younger, but Mbappé, Vinicius Jr., I watch those types of players and try to take fragments of their game,” Madueke said. “Arjen Robben [too]. They are decisive. They win matches on their own and entertain the crowd. That's what I like to do too.”
Chelsea will embark on a pre-season tour of the United States this summer and ESPN will broadcast three of their matches live, including the opening match against Wrexham in Santa Clara on July 24.
