Chelsea manager Graham Potter should leave Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke out of his starting eleven to face Tottenham this weekend, according to Paul Merson.

The Sky Sports pundit has boldly claimed that the Blues “won’t beat” their London rivals if the pair (who cost a combined £118m) are named in the team for the match on Sunday:

“This is the starting XI I hope Potter goes with: Kepa, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Enzo Fernandez, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Joao Felix. If this team plays, they will beat Tottenham 3-0. If he plays Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke, they won’t beat Spurs.”

Merson has made it clear that he has not been impressed with the performances of either player since they arrived at the club during the January transfer window.

Mudryk has had his fitness issues, which could explain why he has had such a slow start, while Madueke is a young and inexperienced player who will need time to mature.

Merson is being slightly harsh on both of them. They have only featured in a handful of games so far and there is every chance that they will turn out to be good signings for the Blues.