Footage of Noni Madueke naming the biggest football club in London has gone viral following his move to Arsenal this week. The former Chelsea winger is set to make the switch across the capital to the Emirates Stadium in the coming days, for a fee reported to be around £52 million.
The move comes as the Gunners identified their attacking unit as the weakest link in their pursuit of a first Premier League title in over two decades, having finished runners-up in each of the last three seasons. The 23-year-old's arrival also provides vital cover for Bukayo Saka - one of the best wingers in the world - on the right flank.
While the transfer presents a greater chance of success for Madueke himself, it seems his heart may still lie in west London. Footage from three years ago, in which he expresses his views on the debate over the biggest club in the capital, reveals just how highly he regarded the Blues at the time.
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As a Londoner himself, he had no doubt that it is Chelsea
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke sitting on the bench
The debate over London’s biggest football club is usually contested between Arsenal and Chelsea. While Arsenal can lay claim to having been in and around title conversations for longer - and boast more domestic league titles than their western counterparts -the Blues have made a far greater impact overseas.
Arsenal have won a European Cup Winners’ Cup and an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but Chelsea can point to two Champions League titles, two Europa League crowns, and, more recently, a Europa Conference League triumph. There’s little doubt that these successes on the European stage played a role in Madueke naming them as the bigger club. He said back in 2023 (watch the full segment below):
"Listen, I’ll say it again: it’s [Chelsea] the biggest club in London. But it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world, let’s be honest.”
Madueke, who was part of the England youth side that won the Under-21 European Championship two summers ago, becomes Arsenal’s fourth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, and Martin Zubimendi.
In 92 appearances for Chelsea, he scored 20 goals and provided nine assists. But he will surely be eager to improve those numbers as he looks to help the Gunners shed their reputation as nearly men.