Arsenal fans are judging Noni Madueke by the wrong standard

The discourse surrounding Noni Madueke is mind-boggling. It feels like fans, whether it be Arsenal fans or rival fans, judge him simply for what they believe a winger should be, rather than judging him for who he is.

One Arsenal fan on Reddit said, "I’m not sure there is a really good player in [Noni Madueke]. The footballing IQ is almost completely lacking, which hampers all his talent."

Another said he's "probably one of those players that impresses in training, but disappoints in games."

There is no such thing as a wrong opinion, of course. That said, as a winger in 2026, you have to chill out and recognise that you won't please everyone. There are so many metrics through which to judge wingers that not even the most elite wingers in the world get the praise they deserve.

With Madueke, the solution is simple. Let's ignore every preconception we have about what it takes to be a perfect winger, and that way, we will immediately start to appreciate him more.

Arsenal fans need to accept Noni Madueke's role in the squad

Put simply, Arsenal do not need a squad of perfect players. They need two things - A) a starting eleven of near-perfect players, and B) the remainder of the squad to be disciplined enough to step up when required.

Madueke falls into camp B. He is not a starter week in, week out. Therefore, he doesn't need to be elite. While nobody can judge the squad politics better than Mikel Arteta, it feels like if Arsenal were to sign an elite positional player to play backup, it would be a recipe for disaster.

Squad players need to strike the right balance of humility and commitment. Madueke has that balance.

Accepting Madueke's role in the squad is stage one; stage two is much easier.

Noni Madueke doesn't need to change his game at all

Next, we must appreciate Madueke for what he brings.

We accepted in stage one that he is not a weekly starter, so he doesn't need to be an elite winger. Elite wingers tick most boxes, whereas reliable rotational players excel in a few different areas.

Madueke's standout trait is his dribbling ability. There aren't many wingers in the world who can dribble better than him.

Jeremy Doku is the most obvious example in the Premier League. He is a better dribbler than Noni Madueke, but he struggles just as much as Madueke when it comes to providing goals and assists. But that's fine, because Arsenal have Bukayo Saka for that.

If we keep expecting goals and assists out of Madueke, this is a sure-fire way to keep being disappointed. He has never been that type of player, and he never will be. Arteta and Arsenal knew this when they signed him.

Madueke's importance to Arsenal comes with his ability to stretch defences and to progress possession into more advanced areas. This is even better when he can do it against tired legs from the bench, so his squad role couldn't be any more fitting.

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