Scoring and assisting in a match for the first time for Chelsea, though, took his tally to four involvements in his last four league games and a strong run-in may yet make an outright success of his maiden campaign.
Inspired by a repurposed Pedro Neto and level of Christopher Nkunku performance not seen in months, Chelsea hammered Southampton 4-0 to, at least temporarily, right a top-four push that had been listing badly since the turn of the year.
What followed was an FA Cup exit at Brighton in which the Blues did not muster a shot on target after being pegged back to 1-1 only 12 minutes in, then a league defeat to the same team in which Noni Madueke was forced off early and Maresca’s side did not manage a shot on target at all.
Tougher defensive tests than Southampton lie ahead, though not by much: Chelsea’s next three fixtures are either against Leicester City or in the Conference League, a competition in which they average more than four goals per game this season.
Nkunku and Cole Palmer had started those games without success at centre-forward, leading Maresca to trial Neto through the middle in training in the lead up to last weekend’s meeting with Aston Villa.
