Mauricio Pochettino was shown why he has the tools to create an exciting Chelsea squad already at his disposal before and incomings are made at Stamford Bridge. The incumbent manager is already set to lose six of the 32 man group that ended last season with more set to follow.
With returning loanees meaning that there are 44 players on the books at Stamford Bridge, there is lots of work to be done. There has been early success with four players set to join Saudi Pro League sides, Mateo Kovacic on his way to Manchester City and Kai Havertz to Arsenal; things are clearing up.
Many more players will also follow suit before the start of the 2023/24 campaign and there isn't the need to make wholesale incomings as with the previous two windows. Across the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital administration so far £600million has been spent and most of that will be adequate in providing Pochettino a chance to form a squad closer to his needs.
Now, before even starting work on July 1, the Argentine has been sent a clear piece of proof that certain positions are pretty much cemented. With the goalkeeper, defensive midfield and striker roles remaining as the outstanding areas to address, there is a chance for current options to show the new boss why extra reinforcement is unneccessary.
In this camp comes 21-year-old winger Noni Madueke. The youngster only joined the club in January but has already gone on to impress in his formative months in London. Having left Tottenham and Crystal Palace earlier in his career on a journey to PSV Eindhoven, Madueke has settled back into life in England quickly.
Although he only has one goal in 12 matches, his late season efforts on the right wing were hugely encouraging as he displaced Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, Hakim Ziyech and on occasion Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz in a front three. His minutes were largely inconsistent, however, and did not bode for massive increases in output.
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What did become evident was his ability to dribble and commit players. In the Chelsea squad, nobody with over 500 minutes even came close to his average of 4.65 successful take-ons per game. At 52.4% completion rate there is work to be done but the young speedster is certainly dynamic on the ball.
He has continued to show this whilst away with England's Under-21s and was part of a Chelsea duo that helped Lee Carsley's side to an opening day 2-0 win over Czech Republic.
Alongside 20-year-old centre-back Levi Colwill, Madueke provided several moments of attacking flair to create big chances. His early give-and-go on the right hand side saw him cut in and strike the bar with a weak footed shot from the edge of the box. He then later linked up with Jacob Ramsey, showed some neat footwork to wriggle free of pressure and had a shot well saved.
At the other end, Colwill was able to keep a clean sheet despite the incredibly attack minded England side that played without an orthodox defensive midfielder. He did find himself isolated at times but was able to shut out most counter-attacking opportunities with simplicity and awareness.
Colwill is now a major target for Brighton having slotted into the heart of their defence under Roberto De Zerbi to form a vital cog for the second part of the season. He has already seen two bids rejected, the second of which was worth £40million. Chelsea see him as a future star and are keen to integrate him into the first team under Pochettino next season.
As well as offering proof of his quality to Pochettino from afar, Colwill also took to social media to send a message. He wrote on Twitter: "Strong first game. Onto the next."
Given the nature of exits going on in the attack - with Ziyech, Pulisic, Havertz, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Felix on their way or already out of the club - and in defence, Colwill and Madueke have a clear pathway into serious game time at SW6 next year.
Even with Christopher Nkunku, Kendry Paez and the imminent arrival of Nicolas Jackson, the immediate futures for Colwill and Madueke are in west London.
As Pochettino boasts a strong record of developing young players and improving them with first team opportunities, no such worry of being outcasted should exist for Colwill and Madueke. As two of the best players for their country they now have the challenge of producing the same for their club, but they have left no doubt in the minds of those at Cobham that they are far from danger positions in need of extra incomings.
