"He needs to compete and improve his level" – Mauricio Pochettino urges £29 million signing to up his levels to earn a place in Chelsea XI

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has encouraged Noni Madueke to improve in order to feature more often in the ongoing campaign.

Madueke, who arrived from PSV Eindhoven for a fee of close to £29 million earlier in January, has failed to establish himself as a crucial member at Stamford Bridge so far. The 21-year-old winger has netted twice in 20 outings, including nine starts, across competitions so far.

During a recent pre-match press conference, Pochettino was queried to shed light on Madueke's potential involvement in the upcoming Blues matches. He replied to reporters (h/t GOAL):

"I think from the beginning of the season, he was involved, then not involved, injured, and suffered some problem. Noni is in a position where there is massive competition, there is too many players in that area. I think he needs to compete and improve his level. I think at the moment, he was injured, but now he has recovered, he may be involved in the next games."

Madueke, who has recently returned to training following a knee injury, could be in action for Chelsea in the coming week. He could feature in his team's three league matches before the conclusion of this year.

Chelsea, who finished 12th in the Premier League last season, will lock horns with Wolves this weekend. They will then host city rivals Crystal Palace on Wednesday before visiting Luton Town on December 30.

Chris Sutton delivers prediction for Wolves-Chelsea encounter in the Premier League

In his column for the BBC, ex-Chelsea star Chris Sutton predicted a 1-1 stalemate in his former team's Premier League visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday (December 24). He wrote:

"Wolves lacked intensity [in 3-0 loss] against West Ham last week, which makes me think they will bounce back here – but it really does depend on which Chelsea team turns up. And I'm sorry but I still have absolutely no idea what to expect from Mauricio Pochettino's side so I am gong to sit firmly on the fence with this one."

The Blues, who recently advanced to the EFL Cup semi-final stage, are 10th in the 2023-24 Premier League table with 22 points from 17 outings. They have recorded two wins in their last five league games.

Wolves, on the other hand, are 13th in the standings with 19 points.

Mauricio Pochettino's side have registered just three wins and as many defeats in their past 10 meetings against the Molineux Stadium outfit.