Noni Madueke hat-trick cuts through Chelsea chaos to prompt tidal wave of Dream Team transfers

IT takes a special effort to upstage an Erling Haaland (£8.5m) hat-trick in the world of Dream Team.

And that’s exactly what Noni Madueke (£3m) did when he claimed a match ball of his own on Sunday.

Chelsea’s No11 benefited from his side’s ruthless counterattacking to take Wolves for 26 points (two more than Manchester City’s No9 notched against Ipswich) via five shots on target, one big chance created, and three goals.

In combination with the brilliant Cole Palmer (£6m), Madueke ripped the hosts apart in transition and found the net three times from his position on the right flank.

The 22-year-old didn’t feature against Pep Guardiola’s side in Gameweek 1 but a goal against Servette in the Blues’ Conference League play-off earned him a start at Molineux.

To say Madueke capitalised on his opportunity is an understatement – he’s the top performer in Gameweek 2 at the time of writing.

With a senior squad in excess of 40 individuals, Chelsea have left many onlookers scratching their heads in recent times.

Enzo Maresca has made it clear that almost half of the squad are working separately from those deemed surplus to requirements for the season ahead.

The Blues’ off-field management has prompted much discussion but a 6-2 win on the road has reminded everyone that, for all the chaos, this team has more than enough talent to make waves on the pitch.

Naturally, Madueke’s hat-trick has prompted a tidal wave of early transfers in the realm of Dream Team.

His ownership has already risen to 7.1% having been the subject of twice as many transfers as the aforementioned Palmer, who is currently the second-most popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 3.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Madueke features in over 10% of teams by the time Saturday’s 11am deadline rolls around, especially with Chelsea set to face a Crystal Palace side that have lost their first two games of the campaign.

It may take Maresca a while to determine his primary approach but a hat-trick has surely propelled Madueke well up the pecking order – his minutes should be relatively secure for the foreseeable future.

Chelsea travel to Switzerland for the second leg of their Conference League play-off on Thursday night and, assuming they convert their aggregate lead into qualification for the league stage, they will have European fixtures from early October.

Needless to say, Dream Team managers should be aware of this potential avenue to points.

In previous seasons, Leicester, West Ham and Aston Villa assets have provided healthy returns in Europe’s tertiary competition.

If Madueke is still in form and assured of minutes once Chelsea’s European campaign begins in earnest, he could be a very smart option indeed.