AFCON 2025
Arsenal have completed their third signing of the season with the arrival of English winger, Noni Madueke from Chelsea.
The 23-year-old forward joins the Gunners for a agreed fee in excess of £50m with ad ons according several sources online.
Madueke’s arrival has divided opinions among Arsenal fans online as majority believe Mikel Arteta, has once again, made an underpar signing as the club look to win the Premier League next season.
Noni Madueke played a significant role in helping Chelsea win the Europa Conference League amd clinching the Champions League ticket.
This post examines why the former PSV Eindoven winger can be a weapon of mass destruction for Arsenal with the help of Mikel Arteta.
1. Arteta’s magical touch
Noni Madueke, often a subject to criticism, is not exactly a bad player. The former PSV winger scores 11 goals and provided five assists in 46 matches for Chelsea last season. This shows he has a potential to do more with a little tweak to his style.
Mikel Arteta having worked with former Chelsea forward Kai Havertz who is now a goal threat and other young players like Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri, could help Madueke reach a new height in his career.
2. Two-way option
Noni Madueke offers Arsenal threat going forward and a decent level of defensive cover when the team need to defend. Madueke’s 0.42 non-penalty expected goals per 90 ranked third among non-strikers last season in the Premier League.
In defense, the 23-year-old won 95 ground duels last season which is surpassed by only four Arsenal players. Madueke can defend from the front with his intelligent pressing which is one of the key attributes of Mikel Artea’s attackers.
3. A deputy for Bukayo Saka
A section of Arsenal fans believe that injury to key players: Saka, Havertz, Gabriel affected the club’s title charge last season. The lack of quality depth in the squad played a role in the Gunner’s trophyless run.
However, Noni Madueke offers the Gunners something similar to what Bukayo Saka offers the team. The English international uses both legs and can play across the forward line.
Mikel Arteta is an experienced manager and the Spanish coach must have seen certain qualities in Noni Madueke before sanctioning the move. Madueke surely has the potential to a success at Arsenal and Arteta will be there to bring out the best in him.
