Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel named his England squad this week for a couple of international fixtures in June, and Chelsea were well represented with five players called up.
Chelsea have a strong English core running through their squad this season. As a result, they have healthy representation in England’s latest 26-man squad.
Blues stars Reece James, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer are available for upcoming international matches against Andorra (World Cup qualifier) and Senegal (friendly).
England supporters disagreed with Trevoh Chalobah’s call-up, but Chelsea fans that watch him every week know he thoroughly deserved a place in the senior national squad for the first time in his career.
Of course, England boss Thomas Tuchel does receive a bit of extra scrutiny for his Chelsea picks because of his previous stint in the manager’s dugout at Stamford Bridge.
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Darren Bent fumes at Noni Madueke’s inclusion in the England squad over Jarrod Bowen
Darren Bent, the talkSPORT pundit and former Premier League striker, was furious after seeing England’s latest squad.
In particular, he couldn’t get his head around Tuchel’s decision to include Chelsea’s Noni Madueke but leave out West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen.
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Bent told talkSPORT: “The Jarrod Bowen [omission] I don’t get one bit. He has been unbelievable. Noni Madueke, remember we spoke before about that big club bias; that stinks of it.”
For what it’s worth, Bowen would 100 per cent be in any England squad we picked. We would find room for Madueke, too.
Even though they both predominantly play on the right wing, they’ve shown for their respective clubs they can play anywhere across the forward line.
Player Appearances Goals Assists
Jarrod Bowen 35 13 9
Noni Madueke 39 11 5
West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen vs Chelsea’s Noni Madueke across all competitions in the 2024/25 season
Without a doubt, Bowen should feel harshly done by because he’s sensational for a very average West Ham side. The 28-year-old star played in Tuchel’s opening two matches as the England manager back in March, but just a few months later he’s been omitted from the squad.
As for Madueke, the 23-year-old speedster shows extremely high levels for Chelsea but desperately needs more consistency. Incidentally, it’s his first time in Tuchel’s England group because he missed the March camp with a hamstring injury.
Jason Cundy claims Noni Madueke is emulating Bukayo Saka by developing into a winger that can beat his opponent either way. Now, it looks like the Chelsea and Arsenal stars will compete for the right wing spot with England.
Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images
Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images
Noni Madueke needs a big third season at Chelsea next year
In general, Madueke is definitely an exciting winger we consider to be moving in the right direction.
While people may claim it’s big club bias that he’s in the England squad, it’s obvious that he’s got ridiculous ability and potential. During his time in West London, he’s slowly starting to increase his influence on the Chelsea side.
Season Appearances Goals Assists
2022/23 (Joined in the January) 12 1 0
2023/24 34 8 4
2024/25 39 11 5
Noni Madueke’s Chelsea career
We think the time that fans can really judge Madueke and whether he can be a long-term starter for Chelsea is in his third full season next year.
Peter Crouch claims Noni Madueke can be “unplayable” in certain games. Can he now transform into a top-class winger by doing that on a more regular basis?
Noni Madueke wants to stay at Chelsea and succeed despite transfer interest from several clubs, so his development in the next year will be intriguing to watch.