Alan Smith claims £29m Chelsea player is now an ‘automatic pick’ after starting in Newcastle win

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Chelsea managed to beat Newcastle United 2-1 earlier, with Cole Palmer proving to be the match-winner once again.

Cole Palmer helped Chelsea to take the lead after his spectacular pass found Pedro Neto, who then teed up Nicolas Jackson for the opener.

Alexander Isak then equalised for Newcastle, but Palmer put Chelsea back in front straight after the restart.

Noni Madueke could not come up with a goal contribution like Palmer, Neto and Jackson. However, Madueke has impressed Enzo Maresca overall this season.

• READ MORE: Enzo Maresca really impressed by ‘fantastic’ Chelsea player in training after threatening to sell him in the summer

Noni Madueke has convinced Enzo Maresca

Last term, Madueke struggled to nail down a first-team spot at Chelsea. Under Mauricio Pochettino, the winger made just 13 starts in the Premier League.

In the current campaign, though, the 22-year-old has already made eight, and Alan Smith now thinks he is practically an “automatic pick” after winning Maresca’s trust.

Speaking about Madueke during Chelsea’s win against Newcastle on Sky Sports (27/10/2024 at 14:02), the Arsenal legend said: “Madueke, almost an automatic pick these days. He’s got the confidence, the trust of his manager and he’s shown a consistency of performance.”

Maresca took Madueke off at Anfield last week for Christopher Nkunku then substituted him again earlier for Mykhailo Mudryk, showing the extent of Chelsea’s attacking options.

Pedro Neto putting pressure on Noni Madueke

Madueke may be a starter for now, but he could easily end up losing his spot to Neto if he is not careful.

Neto looked sharp against Newcastle, setting up Jackson’s goal, while he was also bright when coming on against Liverpool last weekend.

Neto was behind three chances being created at Anfield, no other player managed to register more. The Portugal international is a really creative wide man, and Chelsea fans are starting to see that.

It is up to Madueke, whom Chelsea bought from PSV Eindhoven for around £29m, to raise his game.

The Blues take on Newcastle again in the Carabao Cup next week. Perhaps it could be the England international who gets in behind the Magpies’ backline this time and really hurts them.