"I have no idea what you're trying to achieve young man" – Stuart Pearce labels Chelsea star 'disaster' despite win over Newcastle United
Ex-England international and Nottingham Forest great Stuart Pearce has criticized Benoit Badiashile's performance in Chelsea's recent EFL Cup quarter-final triumph over Newcastle United.
Badiashile, who joined the Blues from AS Monaco for a reported £33 million earlier this January, started his team's match against the Magpies on Tuesday (December 19). The 22-year-old gifted Callum Wilson the opportunity to put Eddie Howe's side ahead in the 16th minute.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Pearce shared his two cents on the French centre-back's costly mistake. He opined (h/t The Chelsea Chronicle):
"Badiashile, I have no idea what you're trying to achieve young man. He is so loose."
Later on in the first half, Pearce labelled the player a 'disaster'. He said:
"Badiashile has been a disaster in the first half. As well as costing Chelsea a goal, there have been a couple of other incidents."
Badiashile, who represented Monaco 135 times before joining the Blues, produced a decent performance despite his vital error against Newcastle. He completed 121 passes with 94% accuracy, won a tackle and all five of his duels, and made seven recoveries during the game.
The Blues, meanwhile, restored parity via Mykhailo Mudryk in the 92nd minute of the cup clash and went on to win 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
Noni Madueke unlikely to leave Chelsea on permanent deal in January, says journalist
Earlier this month, ESPN reported that Mauricio Pochettino's outfit are aiming to let go of Noni Madueke to raise funds in the winter window.
However, reputed journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that the 21-year-old winger is unlikely to be sold in the near future. He told GiveMeSport:
"We've seen some reports out there that suggest he could be sold for £35 million. That's not my understanding. First of all, getting £35 million is going to be quite hard because he has not been playing, but Chelsea paid £29 million on a seven-year contract. They're not just going to throw away that investment in the player."
Shedding more light on the Blues' stance with Madueke, Jacobs said:
"You don't sign a player like that unless you believe that they are going to be at the club for the long-term, and you don't fork out the best part of £30 million if, a year on, you're going to sell him for just £6 million more. Those reports, I'm told, are not true about a permanent sale."
Madueke, who left PSV Eindhoven earlier this January, has bagged just two goals in 20 appearances, including nine starts, for Chelsea so far.