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In two and a half seasons at Chelsea, Noni Madueke played regularly and was reasonably productive. He played 92 matches in all competitions, scored 20 goals, and consistently looked threatening as a left-footed player on the right wing.
On the strength of this, Arsenal poached him from their London rivals, paying the Blues a base transfer fee of $64.6 million to move the winger to the north side of town.
This was despite a #NoToMadueke campaign online that criticized the move as a luxury purchase for a player who looked unlikely to shift Bukayo Saka from the starting lineup. The campaign took place in a summer when rumors were rife that the Gunners would be signing other wingers such as Rodrygo, Nico Williams, and Anthony Gordon, none of which came true.
Madueke has indeed played sparingly since then, but the main reason for that was an unspecified knee injury that he suffered in last September’s draw with Manchester City, which kept him out for two months. He remains scoreless in the Premier League for his new club, having registered assists early in the season against Manchester United and Leeds.
Bukayo Saka's gain is Noni Madueke's pain
Meanwhile, Saka (who profiles similarly as a left-footed right winger) continues to have the spot in the lineup on lock, with seven goals in all competitions. During yesterday’s game, his corner kick led to a Wolves own goal when Arsenal was chasing the game, and it proved: When Saka is healthy, he simply cannot be left out of the lineup.
However, it’s too early to say that the #NoToMadueke campaigners were right. The 23-year-old has had good days in Europe since his return, scoring a goal in the famous victory over Bayern Munich and two more against Club Brugge a week ago. Given that Madueke’s move was partly so that he could have experience playing in the Champions League this season, the player will be pleased with this.
Of course, he will want more playing time to get back on Thomas Tuchel’s radar ahead of the World Cup, and it remains to be seen how or if he and Saka can play together in Arsenal’s attack. However, Kai Havertz is set to return from his knee injury before the end of the year, and we’ll see if Madueke can build chemistry with him.
A vast and grueling chunk of the season remains to be played for the Gunners, and whether or not one of the starting attackers misses significant injury time, squad depth will figure importantly in the months to come.