Why Chelsea’s ‘mentality monster’ Noni Madueke can become better than Liverpool great Mo Salah

Why Chelsea’s ‘mentality monster’ Noni Madueke can become better than Liverpool great Mo Salah

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"I am a bit of a showman," said a 20-year-old Noni Madueke back in 2022, then playing for PSV Eindhoven. A youngster with the confidence of someone ready to take over the world.

Madueke reinvented himself in the Netherlands. After leaving Tottenham’s academy system in June 2018, PSV offered the teenager an opportunity. A tremendous opportunity but a daunting one, where he would have to leave England, and London where he was born and raised. That is what Madueke wanted, though, an opportunity to broaden his horizons abroad and play regular senior football.

The winger had the chance to stay in his homeland, with Manchester United offering him a deal, but he chose the riskier option; one that could see him move abroad and be forgotten about in English football. He would come to realise, about four-and-a-half years later, that sometimes it pays to take risks in life.

In swooped Chelsea. On January 20, 2023, Madueke put pen-to-paper on a seven-and-a-half year contract at Stamford Bridge. He became the 13th signing of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era in west London. Arriving for less than £30million, the Blues believed they had found themselves a bargain; a tricky, speedy and direct winger that could develop into a world-beater with the right guidance.

Just over two years since Madueke arrived at Stamford Bridge, there is less certainty among supporters that he can become that player, but those who work closely with the now-23-year-old tend to hold a different view. The self-proclaimed "showman", while looking to make a mockery of his opponents on the pitch, is all business behind the scenes.

So much so that his personal football coach Saul Isaksson-Hurst has described working with Madueke as a "challenge" at times. Not in a negative way whatsoever, but because of the work he puts in, the work he wants to put in, the player he wants to become. In an exclusive interview with football.london, Isaksson-Hurst, who also has coaching experience at the Chelsea academy, has shed light on what it is like to work with Madueke, a player constantly striving for greatness.

"Noni and I have been working together for over four years now," said Isaksson-Hurst. "It's a privilege and always a challenge. What I mean by that is he always strives to be the best he can be, it's my job to support him and help him fulfil his potential."

He continued: "Noni is always going to be measured on goals and assists. So this is always at the core of our work. How is he going to create and finish more chances? My philosophy is built around identifying the game-changing moments of the game for each players' position, breaking them down and then practicing them.

"So, obviously movement, work around dominating the one-v-one duel work and end product. [Also] crosses, forward passes and his shooting.

"Noni has tremendous self-belief – and so he should. He is one of the top young talents in world football but there is no arrogance there. He understands talent is nothing without hard work. He is also genuinely one of the nicest guys in football and very humble."

The fact is Madueke recognised there were parts of his game he needed to improve in order to aid his development. In 2021, the winger's entourage contacted Isaksson-Hurst, who already had a fantastic reputation in one-on-one coaching, to help with Madueke's game.

The role of the traditional winger has changed enormously in the past two decades. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are trailblazers for multiple reasons in football, but their goal contribution from wide areas really set the tone. More recently, in the Premier League, we have seen the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at Liverpool, as well as Son Heung-min at Tottenham score an incredible amount of goals from the wing – something Madueke is hoping to replicate in the years to come.

This season, Madueke has scored eight goals in all competitions for the Blues – the same tally as he recorded last term under Mauricio Pochettino. He of course can add to that in the final stretch of the campaign, with the winger set to return from injury after the international break. The England international has also recorded one more assist this season than he managed in the whole of the 2023/24 campaign for Chelsea.

"We have spoken about Salah," Isaksson-Hurst explained. "The guy at the moment is the level in world football. It's important to not only give players like this respect but to also try and identify why they're so successful. Maintaining his stats consistently is world-class.

"You have to recognise, though, Noni is further along on his journey than Salah was at the same age. Saying that, Noni knows that if he continues to work hard then he could and should be recognised as one of the world's best down the line."

Enzo Maresca, however, has criticised Madueke at times this season for his attitude on the pitch. Back in December, he was dropped for Chelsea’s win against Aston Villa. A few days later, at Southampton, the head coach offered his reasoning post-match: “With Noni, I have a personal relationship, in terms of he can do much more. In the moment he starts to score or assist and is happy, he starts to drop a little bit.”

Madueke was then left out of the Blues squad for their Boxing Day defeat to Fulham later in the month. In January, Maresca challenged the former PSV winger to prove himself as one of the best players in the squad: "I consider Noni one of our best players, to be honest. But because of that, we want our best players to behave in the right way always.

"Not to switch off, not [to have] some days where they can drop. No. [We know] that during a season, it's normal that for some players they are not 100%. But it's not just about Noni, it's about all players."

football.london asked the question to Isaksson-Hurst about Madueke's attitude and the answer could not have been more emphatic. Not only has the coach never seen that side of Madueke, but he described the Chelsea attacker as the hardest working footballer he has witnessed first hand.

"I can only talk about my experience with Noni and I've said it many times before, I've never come across a more hard working and determined individual," Isaksson-Hurst said. "This guy is a mentality monster."

Chelsea supporters will be delighted when Madueke returns from injury after the ongoing international break, but nobody will be happier than the man himself; who is on a long, and sometimes bumpy, journey to become the very best winger on the planet.

If you are interested in reading more about Isaksson-Hurst, head over to My Personal Football Coach.

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• Noni Madueke
• Chelsea
• Premier League
• Mohamed Salah