Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca wants Noni Madueke to stay beyond the summer transfer window, but conceded "anything can happen".
The Blues are looking to offload the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Romelu Lukaku and Trevor Chalobah before the window closes on August 30.
But Madueke, who scored in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Servette in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off, is someone Maresca wants to develop and improve.
Though the Italian wants to see a more consistent level from the former PSV winger, who scored five Premier League goals in 23 appearances last term and outperformed his expected goals (xG) by 2.5.
He said: "I really like Noni. The only problem is that he has to understand that he has to be consistent during the week in training.
"He's a good player and he’s doing well with us."
Maresca believes the 22-year-old will be an important member of the squad for the season, especially with the club involved in four competitions.
Though the former Leicester City boss knows much can change in the final days of a transfer window.
He said: "Yeah absolutely. But the reality is until the window closes, anything can happen.
"But for sure Noni is the kind of player that I like. We have so many games. If it's to today it will be the next one. He's doing well since he started with us.
"The only thing he has to improve is consistency, every day, every day work hard. Then he will get minutes for sure."
Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Leeds: Aaronson and James seal visitors first win of the season
Brenden Aaronson and Daniel James struck either side of half-time to secure Leeds United's first win of the new season, beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 on Friday.
Aaronson notched his second league goal of the season early on, before James sealed the victory with a fine finish for his 30th goal involvement for the club.
The visitors started brightly at Hillsborough as Mateo Joseph was the first to test James Beadle inside the opening five minutes of the contest.
And their attacking persistence was rewarded in the 24th minute when Aaronson swept a left-footed effort home after Joseph had been fouled inside the penalty area.
Despite registering seven shots in the first 45 minutes, the visitors were unable to increase their advantage, but it didn't take long to claim that two-goal cushion.
Joseph, once again the architect, saw his cutting pass pick out James, who sprinted clear of the Owls' defence before delicately lobbing the ball over Beadle.
The Welshman's strike was the second goal Leeds have scored in the first 15 minutes of the second half in the Championship this season, with only Watford (three) bettering that total thus far.
Leeds' triumph moved them up into fourth in the early season standings ahead of tomorrow's Championship action.
Data Debrief: Joseph inspires Leeds victory
Going into the encounter, Leeds had failed to win their last four Championship games, but their star quality at the top end of the pitch shone through.
Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Joseph was the standout performer for Farke's side and looked a fitting replacement for the gap left by Georginio Rutter.
The Spaniard registered the most shots (four) and touches in the opposition box (seven), producing an expected goals (xG) of 0.3, a total only bettered by James (0.46).
Ayew signs permanent contract with Premier League new boys Leicester
Jordan Ayew has become Leicester City's seventh signing of the transfer window after his move from Crystal Palace was confirmed on Friday.
Ayew, who made 212 appearances for the Eagles, arrives in the East Midlands for an initial £5million fee, potentially rising to £7.5million dependent on performances.
The 32-year-old offers Steve Cooper another experienced head in the forward areas alongside Jamie Vardy as the Foxes prepare to take on Fulham this Saturday.
Ayew has featured 275 times in the Premier League for three different teams, scoring more English top flight goals for Palace (23) than he managed for any other club.
He featured 37 times for the Eagles last season, registering 11 goal involvements (four goals and seven assists), with his assist tally the highest in the Palace side.
"I’m very happy to be here and I’m proud. I want to thank the Club as they fought hard to bring me here – it happened quickly and I’m so happy to be here," Ayew said.
“As a player, when you hear that the manager wants you, it just makes you want to come and work under him and to try to improve.
"Even though I’m 32, as a player you always want to learn and improve. I’m here to work hard and help the team achieve their targets.”
Rowe swaps Norwich for Marseille in season-long loan deal
Jonathan Rowe has completed a season-long loan move to Ligue 1 side Marseille after a breakthrough campaign with Norwich in the Championship.
Rowe, who made 56 appearances for the Canaries in all competitions, has signed an initial loan deal with an option to buy for £17million.
After coming through the club's academy, Rowe made his Norwich debut in a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League back in December 2021.
But the 21-year-old established himself as a regular under David Wagner last season, netting 12 times in 32 league outings as the Canaries reached the play-offs.
His 36 completed dribbles was a total only bettered by Gabriel Sara (40) and Borja Sainz (43) in the Norwich squad, while he also created 24 chances for his side.
Rowe becomes Roberto De Zerbi's 11th signing of the transfer window, offering the former Brighton manager another creative option in the final third.
Marseille started their Ligue 1 campaign with an impressive 5-1 away win over Brest last week, and welcome Reims to the Stade Velodrome on Sunday.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
