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Bukayo Saka needs favors from absolutely nobody. He is his own beast, and he's by far Arsenal's best player. However, if there was ever a player to step up to the mark and bring a better version out of Bukayo Saka, nobody would have expected it to be Noni Madueke.
Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka played together at the weekend against Wigan. Due to the nature of them occupying the same position, it is a complete rarity that you would see them both on the pitch at the same time. The weekend was an exception to the rule, and it turns out, they complement each other pretty well.
Noni Madueke brings the best out of Bukayo Saka at Arsenal
Noni Madueke brings the best out of Bukayo Saka because he throws another spanner into the works. With both him and Saka on the pitch, defenders do not know who to mark.
In many games, you will see defenders gang up on Saka. This is because more often than not, opposing teams have the power to do that, and they see Saka as Arsenal's biggest threat (spoiler alert: he is).
With Madueke on the pitch at the same time, it overloads Arsenal's right-hand side. It leaves the opposing left-back and left center-back with double the amount of work, and this naturally gives Saka more time to breathe.
It was pretty clear that Saka had a much better time at the weekend than he had in a long time. You could argue it was against weaker opposition, and you'd be right, but Mikel Arteta can still take many lessons from the performance that can be applied in other competitions.
Due to unfortunate injuries to Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino, Noni Madueke will rack up many more starting lineup appearances. Thankfully for Arteta, he can play Bukayo Saka through the center, and Madueke can combine well with him.
In a 2026 that's otherwise not going Arsenal's way, the building blocks of an unexpected partnership brewing comes a pleasant surprise.
In hindsight, Arsenal fans shouldn't be surprised by this. Noni Madueke left his ego at the door the second he signed for Arsenal. He knew he wasn't going to have an easy time making appearances with Bukayo Saka ahead of him, but he's barely put a foot wrong since signing.
Madueke brings the best out of Saka, and in doing so, he too can shine. We haven't even mentioned that he scored a goal in this appearance; the main takeaway was how selfless he plays, and how his presence on the pitch means much more to Arsenal than simply scoring a goal.