Noni Madueke believes new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is one of the best in the business and is looking forward to flourishing under his stewardship.

Madueke, who joined the Blues from PSV Eindhoven in 2023, started the new Premier League campaign in fine form in the early tenure of the Italian.

The 22-year-old has scored four goals in four appearances this season, netting his first professional hat-trick in their 6-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last month.

Madueke managed just 11 goal involvements (eight goals and three assists) across all competitions last term, but feels Maresca's arrival has helped him add another level to his game.

"He's a great guy, a good manager, a very good tactician. He's helping me a lot with my game, little details," Madueke told talkSPORT.

"Things that you wouldn't necessarily think of yourself. I always feel like a great manager will say 'this can help you score more' or this can help you get in behind more'.

"Little things that I feel like he's helping me with."

His impressive start to the campaign has resulted in a first senior England call-up under interim head coach Lee Carsley for the Three Lions' upcoming Nations League fixtures.

Only Taylor Harwood-Bellis (21) has made more appearances than Madueke (19) for England's Under-21's side during Carsley's time in charge, helping them to success at the European Under-21 Championship last year.

However, when it was suggested that Carsley's appointment had given Madueke more motivation to impress, he insisted that his full focus remained on Chelsea.

"Not so much England, more so because I had a new coach at Chelsea and you want to impress your new coach at your club, and just play well,’ Madueke said.

"Every time I get the chance to play for Chelsea, it's such a massive club, I feel like it's a thing of pride, and you want to do the best you can.

"I always want to improve my game, so this season I just wanted to start as well as possible."

Madueke managed just 13 starts in the Premier League last season, and faces another year of fighting for his place in Chelsea's line-up. 

The Blues welcomed 11 new faces to Stamford Bridge during the transfer window, with Pedro Neto offering the biggest threat to his starting spot on the right-hand side of their attack. 

But Madueke is relishing the prospect of competition at the club, saying that he will embrace the situation with ambitions of succeeding at the highest level.

"If you want to play for one of the top clubs in the world, you’re going to have to deal with competition," Madueke concluded.

"That’s not something you should shy away from, that’s something you should just take head on.

"If you believe you’re a good player, you want to be around good players, because it increases your level.

"You don’t want to feel like you’re going to play every week and can just cruise through because that allows you to drop your standards a little bit.

"So it’s good that we have a lot of great players in the building, so the training level is better and, ultimately, we’re better on the pitch when it comes down to it."

Conor Gallagher insists his Chelsea departure was not due to him lacking the technical qualities to play Enzo Maresca's preferred possession-based style of play.

Gallagher joined Chelsea at the age of six and progressed through the ranks before making 95 senior appearances for the Blues between 2019 and 2024. 

He captained the side regularly under Mauricio Pochettino last season as skipper Reece James battled a series of injuries, only to find himself out of favour when Maresca replaced the Argentine.

Gallagher sealed a £34million move to Atletico Madrid in August, amid questions around his suitability for the patient style of play favoured by former Leicester boss Maresca.

Gallagher started 37 of Chelsea's 38 league games last season, more than any of his fellow Blues midfielders, completing 1,766 of his 1,930 attempted passes with an accuracy of 91.5%.

That latter figure was the best recorded by any Chelsea midfielder in league action, ahead of Moises Caicedo in second (90.8%). 

However, when those stats are adjusted to per 90 minute values, Gallagher ranked third among Chelsea midfielders for passes completed (50.7 per 90) and successful passes in the opposition half (28.56), and fourth for passes completed in the final third (15.67).

He does not believe the narrative that he was unable to fit into Maresca's engine room is a fair one, however, saying: "I don't think that's true.

"Last season I had a good season with Chelsea and you could see that by Pochettino playing me every game and showing his trust in me. 

"The fans appreciated what I did on the pitch. I'm very grateful for all of that and very thankful to the fans, and very thankful to Pochettino for giving me that platform to go and express myself and show the best version of myself at Chelsea.

"Chelsea make their own decisions and they've brought in some top players on long contracts. That wasn't the situation with me but what happened is good for everyone."

Gallagher has helped his new club make a positive start to the new campaign, with Los Colchoneros sitting third in LaLiga – level with rivals Real Madrid – with eight points from four games.

Asked about his first interactions with new boss Diego Simeone, Gallagher said: "He was very welcoming and it was, 'ready to get to work?', basically.

"That's what he's like, that's his character; he just wants everyone to work as hard as possible, to prepare for each game and to win – and that's perfect for me."

Gallagher will hope to feature for England when they take on the Republic of Ireland in their Nations League opener on Saturday, in their first game under caretaker boss Lee Carsley.

Cole Palmer has been left out of Chelsea's squad for the league phase of the Europa Conference League.

Palmer enjoyed a brilliant debut campaign at Stamford Bridge in 2023-24, registering more goal involvements than any other player in the Premier League (33, 22 goals, 11 assists).

However, his efforts were not enough to guide the Blues to Champions League or Europa League qualification, as they finished sixth before seeing Manchester United take England's final Europa League spot by winning the FA Cup.

Enzo Maresca's side came through a play-off tie with Servette to reach the new league phase of the Conference League, with their first match in the competition proper coming against Gent on October 3.

They will also face Panathinaikos, Noah, Heidenheim, Astana and Shamrock Rovers before the league phase concludes in December.

On Thursday, the Blues released their 23-man squad for the next stage of the competition, with Palmer the most notable player to be excluded.

Palmer has already provided four assists and scored one goal in Chelsea's first three Premier League games in 2024-25.

He is the first player to provide four or more assists at this stage of a top-flight campaign since Paul Pogba laid on five in Manchester United's first three games of 2021-22.

New signings Jadon Sancho, Joao Felix, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Tosin Adarabioyo and Filip Jorgensen are included, with Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia joining Palmer in missing out.

Chelsea will be able to add Palmer to their squad in January should they reach the knockout stages, as they bid to become the competition's second English victors, after West Ham in 2022-23.

Full squad: Robert Sanchez, Filip Jorgensen, Lucas Bergstrom; Axel Disasi, Marc Cucurella, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Renato Veiga; Enzo Fernandez, Noni Madueke, Carney Chukwuemeka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Moises Caicedo, Cesare Casadei; Pedro Neto, Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Jadon Sancho, Marc Guiu.

Marc Cucurella says Chelsea "need stability" if they want to find success, comparing it to Spain's Euro 2024 triumph.

Enzo Maresca became the Blues' seventh permanent manager in the last eight years in July, taking over from Mauricio Pochettino, who only spent one season at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea began the season with a defeat to Manchester City before getting their first Premier League victory under the Italian in a 6-2 thrashing of Wolves.

While they followed that up with a draw, Maresca has already started to stamp his mark on the squad, with a blend of his new signings and the youngsters brought in by previous managers.

And Cucurella believes that keeping him for the long term will allow Chelsea to find a necessary rhythm so they can start to target silverware.

"I'm happy, I think the coach we have is very good, he has very clear ideas," Cucurella told EFE, as quoted by ESPN.

"We've come from years of changes of coaches. Let's see if we can get stability without many changes, and that the manager can transmit his ideas.

"We need stability, we have very high-level players and, hopefully, we can have that patience that is needed, that calm so that everything goes well. We need the coaches and players to be allowed to work in order to do something important.

"One of the keys to success at the Euro was the good group we had. In these tournaments you're together all day, we have to put up with each other and if we hadn't gotten along, it would have been difficult. Creating a good atmosphere comes naturally to me."

Chelsea saw a lot of outgoings in the final days of the transfer window, with Raheem Sterling, Trevoh Chalobah and Romelu Lukaku among those who left.

However, they also made 13 signings in the transfer window, including the likes of Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Joao Felix and Jadon Sancho.

Joao Felix is already off the mark in his second spell in west London, netting the final goal in their win over Wolves, and Cucurella has backed him for success at Chelsea after struggling at Atletico Madrid.

"He showed a good level during the months he was there [last time]," Cucurella added.

"He was unlucky because he was sent off in his first game for an unfortunate, unintentional action, then he had many opportunities, but he's a player who can contribute a lot to us.

"In the Premier [League] there are many more spaces, he can move around, and hopefully he will help us a lot."

Angelo Gabriel has completed a permanent transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr from Chelsea. 

Angelo has signed a five-year contract with the Saudi outfit, who are captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, for a reported £19.4million transfer fee. 

Chelsea have also included a sell-on clause as part of their agreement with Al-Nassr.

The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at Stamford Bridge last year from Santos in a £13m deal, but spent last campaign on loan with Strasbourg. 

He made 25 appearances in all competitions, notching four assists, but only 11 of his 22 league outings came as starts as he missed the end of the term with a groin injury. 

Angelo became the 11th permanent departure from the club as the Blues ended their transfer window with a net spend of £46.5m. 

Angelo Gabriel has completed a permanent transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr from Chelsea. 

Angelo has signed a five-year contract with the Saudi outfit, who are captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, for a reported £19.4million transfer fee. 

Chelsea have also included a sell-on clause as part of their agreement with Al-Nassr.

The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at Stamford Bridge last year from Santos in a £13m deal, but spent last campaign on loan with Strasbourg. 

He made 25 appearances in all competitions, notching four assists, but only 11 of his 22 league outings came as starts as he missed the end of the term with a groin injury. 

Angelo became the 11th permanent departure from the club as the Blues ended their transfer window with a net spend of £46.5m. 

The Premier League takes its first break for international fixtures over the next two weeks.

But we had plenty of thrills and spills on matchday three.

Everton were 2-0 up in the 87th minute against Bournemouth on Saturday, only for Sean Dyche's team to lose 3-2. Manchester City continued their perfect start, while Arsenal were held by Brighton, with Declan Rice sent off.

On Sunday, Newcastle United overcame Tottenham and Chelsea drew with Crystal Palace, while the headline fixture of the weekend saw Liverpool hammer Manchester United.

But which teams were lucky, and unlucky, on MD3?

Lucky winners: Bournemouth

Andoni Iraola claimed Bournemouth were fortunate to come from behind and beat Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park. The Toffees were leading by 2+ goals until the 87th minute – the latest a team has ever been 2+ goals ahead in a game they've gone on to lose in Premier League history.

The full-time stats perhaps suggest a different version of events to Iraola's take. Bournemouth finished with a higher expected goals (xG) than Everton (2.22 to 1.97) while having 17 shots to the hosts' 18.

But up until late on, Everton had complete control. Indeed, as of the 80th minute, Sean Dyche's team had mustered 18 shots, 11 more than Bournemouth.

And just to hammer that home, 1.79 of Bournemouth's 2.22 xG came from the 81st minute onwards. While the Cherries deserve credit for a smash-and-grab, it is fair to say that Everton, who had five big chances but scored just two of them, will have been left scratching their heads as to how they capitulated.

Unlucky losers: Chelsea

Okay, so technically, Chelsea are not 'losers' - they drew 1-1 with Palace on Sunday.

But, based on the metrics, they were extremely unfortunate not to beat Oliver Glasner's team.

Chelsea had 13 shots and accumulated 2.4 xG, which was the third highest across the weekend's games, behind Brentford (2.78) and Man City (3.0), albeit a huge chunk of it came from Nicolas Jackson's close-range finish.

Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was in fantastic form, making some excellent saves to deny Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer and coming away with a goals prevented figure of 1.76, and ultimately, Eberechi Eze's stunner, which had an xG of just 0.06, was enough to claim a share of the spoils and frustrate Enzo Maresca.

Lucky winners: Newcastle United

Newcastle beat Spurs 2-1 at St James' Park, and Eddie Howe's team showed how clinical they can be.

They had nine shots, 11 fewer than Tottenham, but actually amassed a higher xG total (1.83 to 1.26), showing that the opportunities they created were quality ones.

Indeed, they converted both of their big chances, meaning they join Leicester City (1/1) as the only other team from the weekend to register a 100% big chance conversion rate.

Unlucky losers: Arsenal

Like Chelsea, Arsenal drew, but based on the underlying metrics, and even though they went down to 10 men when Declan Rice was sent off, they could be considered unfortunate not to have beaten Brighton.

Mikel Arteta's team finished with an xG of 2.14, the fifth-highest total from the weekend, while also creating five big opportunities, from which players would have been anticipated to do better, only for the Gunners to miss four of them.

On the flip side, Arsenal did face 22 shots going the other way, albeit those attempts did not account for a high xG (1.76).

Nicolas Jackson has signed a contract extension with Chelsea to keep him at the club until 2033, head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed.

The forward initially joined the Blues from Villarreal on an eight-year deal in 2023 and has now put pen to paper on a two-year extension.

In his first season at Stamford Bridge, Jackson scored 17 goals in all competitions, with his 14 Premier League goals making him Chelsea's second-highest scorer in the competition behind Cole Palmer.

He converted the second-most big chances (11) and created the third-most chances (39) for the Blues last term, also providing five Premier League assists.

Jackson is set to be a key figure under Maresca too, getting his second goal of the season in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday.

After that game, Maresca confirmed an announcement regarding a new deal was imminent, telling reporters: "I know he's signing a new contract.

"I'm very happy. Nicolas is doing a fantastic job on and off the ball.

"He scored already two goals [this season]. He scored again today. He had another two chances but we are happy with him."

Chelsea were linked with both Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen in the last few days of the transfer window, but Maresca says the new deal is representative of their faith in Jackson.

 "I have faith, and the club also, even before. Not because we were looking for another striker, not that we don't trust Nicolas. We trust Nicolas," he said.

"I said last week when the transfer window was still open - he is doing fantastic with us. I am very happy with him."

Enzo Maresca believes Chelsea are on the right track despite being pegged back to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.

Nicolas Jackson scored during a dominant first half for the Blues, but they had to share the points after Eberechi Eze's stunning long-range strike.

Dean Henderson's work in goal also frustrated Chelsea, who got seven of their 13 shots on target, creating 2.27 expected goals, but they struggled to recreate the clinical showing they put on at Wolves last weekend.

Despite still searching for their first Premier League home win of his tenure, Maresca was proud of his team's performance.

"We completely deserved to win the game," Marseca told Sky Sports. "We had many, many chances.

"The most important thing was the performance, and the performance was there. We conceded just two shots today.

"We didn't take the three points but playing the way we did today, I think we will win games.

"I feel a bit of shame for the result, but not the performance. The direction is the correct one.

"With the players arriving now, we can even better."

Palace were perhaps fortunate not to go down to 10 men in the second half, with Will Hughes not receiving what would have been a second booking for a foul on Palmer just before Eze equalised.

Asked if he believed it should have been a red card, Maresca admitted it would have changed the picture of the game.

"This kind of thing for sure changes the game," he added.

"It was a clear second yellow card, but the referee thinks in different ways. In that moment, we were also 1-0 up and the game completely would change 11 v 10."

Eberechi Eze's stunning goal gave Crystal Palace their first point of the Premier League season, as they held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

The England international's 20-yard strike cancelled out Nicolas Jackson’s first-half effort and ensured the spoils were shared in an entertaining London derby.

Chelsea controlled large periods of the first half and broke through in the 25th minute. A swift counter saw Noni Madueke burst away from Will Hughes and feed Cole Palmer, who delivered a low ball across the face of goal for Jackson to tap into an empty net.

Dean Henderson, who produced a superb reflex save to deny Madueke earlier on, then kept out Palmer's free-kick just after the restart.

His intervention proved crucial as Palace equalised in the 53rd minute as the ball broke kindly for Eze, who brilliantly curled beyond the helpless dive of Robert Sanchez.

Both sides had chances to score the game's third goal later on with Jackson and Daichi Kamada denied but, in the end, had to settle for a point apiece.

Data Debrief: Eze matches Foden as Palmer claims another assist

As has become customary in recent times, Palmer was heavily involved when Chelsea broke the deadlock as he put the ball on a plate for Jackson.

It was the England international's 15th Premier League assist since the start of last season, the most by any player in Europe's big five leagues during that time.  

However, his efforts would prove academic with Eze securing a point in superb fashion. It was the Palace midfielder's fifth Premier League goal from outside the box in 2024, with only Manchester City's Phil Foden matching that tally.

Napoli director Giovanni Manna insists there are "many options" still open for Victor Osimhen, who has been exiled from their squad for the Serie A season after failing to clinch a transfer.

Osimhen was linked with a move to Premier League giants Chelsea or Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli in the recent transfer window, yet a switch failed to materialise.

Chelsea were reportedly unwilling to meet his wage demands, while Al-Ahli signed Brentford's Ivan Toney after Osimhen refused to move to Saudi Arabia.

Osimhen, who scored 26 goals in Napoli's Scudetto-winning campaign of 2022-23, has now been left out of Antonio Conte's Serie A squad, with Romelu Lukaku brought in as his replacement and taking the Nigerian's number nine shirt.

The striker now faces the prospect of sitting out four months until the January transfer window opens, unless Napoli can find a way to move him on.

"The situation is very clear. Victor expressed his absolute desire to not stay at, or play for, Napoli," Manna told DAZN on Saturday.

"We tried to make him happy. Then there was a demand and an offer, and we thought we had concluded negotiations, but then it didn't go through. 

"He expressed his desire to no longer play for Napoli and so we made other choices.

"The transfer market is still open in some countries, so there are many options, but I don't think Victor will go to Saudi Arabia."

Napoli picked up their second win of the Serie A season on Saturday, with stoppage-time goals from Lukaku and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa firing them to a 2-1 comeback victory over Parma.

After that game, Conte confirmed Osimhen was not part of his plans, saying: "No player will be reintegrated. 

"Those who are out of the project will remain out of the project. We made our choices and work in one direction all together."

Jadon Sancho wants to "bring excitement" to "iconic" Chelsea, and is looking to emulate idols Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba following his Deadline Day move from Manchester United.

The winger joined the Blues on a season-long loan deal which, according to widespread reports, includes an obligation to buy for between £20million and £25million.

That means Sancho would not be returning to Old Trafford, where he found first-team opportunities limited after a public falling out with head coach Erik ten Hag.

The 24-year-old, who made 83 appearances for United, spent the second half of last season on loan with former club Borussia Dortmund, helping the Bundesliga side reach their third Champions League final along the way.

Sancho appeared from the bench in the Red Devils' Community Shield defeat against Manchester City, but was not included in the matchday squad for their opening two Premier League games of the new season.

And he is excited by the prospect of a fresh start under Enzo Maresca, whose vision at Stamford Bridge proved too difficult for him to turn down. 

"I think it's the manager who really drew me to the project," Sancho, who will wear the number 19 shirt, told Chelsea's official website. 

"He spoke to me on the phone about this project and what he was building here, and for a young player like myself it's exciting, and I can't wait to get started.

"I enjoy his style of play. When [the wingers] get on the ball, he loves them to go one versus one and be direct. We play a lot of one-twos with the 10s and the striker combination plays. It's very attractive.

"I'm a skilful player and I want to bring excitement to the Bridge. Hopefully, it will turn out well.

"Chelsea is iconic. My idols growing up were Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, and now I have the opportunity to play for this club like them. It's a great feeling."

Jadon Sancho has secured a move away from Manchester United, having joined Chelsea on Deadline Day on a season-long loan.

The deal includes an obligation to buy for between £20-£25 million at the end of the loan, according to widespread reports, meaning that the 24-year-old will not be returning to Old Trafford next summer.

Work to complete the transfer came late on Deadline Day, with a deal sheet being submitted to ensure the signing could go through after the 11pm deadline.

Chelsea were able to get the deal over the line, confirming the move was complete on Saturday evening. 

"I’m really excited to be here," Sancho said. "London is where I grew up and I’m happy to be back.

"The manager spoke to me about the project and, for a young player, it's exciting. Hopefully I can bring goals and assists to the Bridge."

It brings an end to a three-year spell at Old Trafford for Sancho. The winger originally joined United on a five-year contract in 2021 but, following a public falling out with manager Erik ten Hag, found his first-team opportunities limited.

Sancho made 83 appearances in all competitions for United, but his last start for the club came against Manchester City in the 2023 FA Cup final. He made three substitute appearances in August 2023 before moving back to Dortmund on loan in January, where he scored three goals in 21 appearances.

His final outing in a United shirt came off the bench in their Community Shield defeat to Manchester City, but he was not included in the squad for the first two league games.

Sancho joins a club with plenty of competition for attacking places, with Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke among their roster.

Chelsea did also manage to move some players on during Deadline Day. Raheem Sterling secured a loan move to Arsenal on Deadline Day, while Trevoh Chalobah joined Crystal Palace, Armando Broja moved to Everton and Djordje Petrovic was loaned by Strasbourg.

Raheem Sterling completed a season-long loan move to Arsenal from Chelsea at the eleventh hour on Deadline Day. 

Sterling, who made 81 appearances for Chelsea since his move from Manchester City in 2022, was told he was not in the plans of new Blues head coach Enzo Maresca.

After not being involved in the squad for their opening day defeat to his former side, Sterling's representatives sought clarity over his future and he was linked with a move to Manchester United.

But instead, he reunited with Mikel Arteta, having spent time with him at the Etihad when the Spaniard was assistant head coach to Pep Guardiola.

During his two-year stint at Stamford Bridge, the 29-year-old netted 19 goals and added 12 assists in that time, with 18 of those goal involvements coming last campaign.

His 45 completed dribbles in the league was a total only bettered by Cole Palmer (52) and Nicolas Jackson (54), while also creating 39 chances for Chelsea. 

Sterling provides a wealth of experience for the Gunners in their quest for the Premier League crown, having won the title four times with Man City.

"It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s really exciting. I’m buzzing. It’s one where we kind of left it late but it’s one I was hoping for," Sterling told Arsenal's official website. 

"Looking at everything, I’m just, like, ‘This is a perfect fit for me’, and I’m super happy that we got it over the line.

"I spoke with Edu and I said that it’s something you can see from the outside, you can see the real togetherness from Mikel’s time here and you see the journey that the boys are on, and you can see the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I’m looking to be a part of."

It offers another attacking option to Arteta for the remainder of the campaign, having allowed two of their forwards to depart the club on the final day of the window.

Eddie Nketiah completed a permanent transfer to Crystal Palace for an initial £25million fee, plus £5m in performance-related add-ons.

Reiss Nelson also secured a move away from the Emirates, signing a season-long loan deal with Fulham.

Manchester United will travel to Turkey to face former manager Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce following the Europa League's revamped draw on Friday.

The new league phase format sees each of the 36 teams play eight games, four at home and four away.

During his two-and-a-half-year spell at United, Mourinho led them to Europa League glory in 2017, beating Ajax 2-0 in the final.

The Red Devils' remaining seven games include an all-British home clash against Rangers, welcoming them to Old Trafford for the first time in 14 years, and a trip to another of Mourinho's old clubs, Porto.

Rangers, who have failed to win any of their last 13 games in major European competition against English opposition, will also face Tottenham and Conference League winners Olympiakos.

Spurs, winners of the inaugural tournament in 1972, will also meet Roma and Galatasaray in their other seven fixtures.

Meanwhile, in the Conference League, Chelsea's draw includes League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers at home and a trip to Panathinaikos.

The Blues, who narrowly qualified for the competition on Thursday, have never faced any of their six opponents in any competition before.