Noni Madueke believes a good end to the season, both from himself and the team, gives Chelsea a good base to continue building from when he and his Blues team-mates return for the start of pre-season.

In his first full season at Chelsea, following his move from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, Noni Madueke enjoyed a promising conclusion to the campaign.

Three of his five Premier League goals in 2023/24 came in our last nine fixtures, in addition to getting two assists during that period, as he enjoyed arguably his best run of form in a Blues shirt so far.

‘I was just playing a lot more, so it's easier to stay in a rhythm,’ said Madueke. ‘I feel like I've improved certain aspects of my game, in terms of the defensive side, and in hand with that it's just helped the offensive side of my game.

‘I wanted to finish the season as strongly as possible and now just start next season fit. I really think the rest will take care of itself.’

It wasn’t just Madueke who enjoyed a good end to the season, as he helped Chelsea secure European qualification on the final day of the campaign, when we made it five wins in a row by beating Bournemouth 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

He believes that form, along with the challenges the Blues overcame together along the way, has led to a strong bond within the squad, which can only serve us well when we regroup to begin our preparations for the new season during our summer tour of the USA.

‘I feel like our team unity is at an all-time high. We’ve definitely been through a lot, but there were definitely good moments throughout the season, and there were examples where in some moments we probably could have done a bit better.

‘But I feel like that comes with a young team and growing together. There’s also an understanding that if we're going to win together, we're going to lose together. We need each other, for real. Right now it's an all-time high and I hope it continues just like that.’

Another reason Madueke sees for optimism ahead of pre-season is the potential return to full fitness of Carney Chukwuemeka, who missed a large part of the last campaign with an injury picked up after scoring at West Ham United in August.

‘Carney is the player I spend most time with, easily. I knew him through the England set-up. We are just very similar, we get on really well. We like the same things and have the same type of personality, so it just clicks.

‘When he’s fully fit, he’s a problem for teams. So I can’t wait until next season for him to be fit from the start of the season and just show everyone what he can do.’

We will get our first glimpse of what the 2024/25 campaign could hold for Madueke, Chukwuemeka and the rest of the Blues when they return to action during our pre-season tour of the USA, with the full list of fixtures and how to book your seat in the stadium for each game below.

Chelsea’s USA Tour 2024