Arsenal are set to complete the £50 million transfer of Noni Madueke in a move that has divided the Gunners fanbase and even led to the vandalism of murals outside the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side have had a busy transfer window so far with the additions of Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard for a combined fee of around £70 million.
However, the news that Noni Madueke will be signing from London rivals Chelsea has pushed some fans over the edge. Since Arteta was appointed as Arsenal manager in December 2019, the club has done business with Chelsea on five occasions; Madueke follows in the footsteps of Kepa, Jorginho, Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling and Willian to make the move across London.
Why has the Madueke deal opened a rift within the Gunners fanbase?
Many Arsenal fans were already unhappy with the frequency with which the club did business with Chelsea. However, spending over £50 million on a player who is likely to struggle to make the starting lineup for the Gunners instead of prioritising a move for a striker has further disgruntled supporters.
(Credit: SOPA Images/ Getty Images).
(Credit: SOPA Images/ Getty Images).
Chelsea needed to sell to please the likes of UEFA, who outlined this in their negotiated settlement with the Blues after the club was found to breach the governing body’s financial rules. Arsenal’s move for Madueke goes a long way to easing any potential concerns.
Arsenal fans took to social media with #NoToMadueke trending on X, and some supporters were even calling for the sacking of Mikel Arteta after Fabrizio Romano confirmed the move.
Whatever stance fans have on this deal, vandalism of murals depicting Arteta and the Arsenal owners close to the Emirates is unacceptable.
Clearly, this deal has to work out for the fanbase to get onboard with the signing of Madueke. The English winger will need to perform like Kai Havertz did if he is to win the backing of Arsenal fans.
The former PSV Eindhoven forward has scored 20 goals and provided seven assists during his two-and-a-half-year stint in West London. Madueke can operate on the right but has also made numerous outings as a left-winger during his time at Chelsea.
Despite his output being fairly average, Madueke has impressed in terms of the volume of shots and dribbles he attempts per match. The winger is in the 99th percentile for progressive carries and 94th percentile for shots per 90 minutes. This should allow Arsenal to play with more tempo and, Arteta will hope, score more goals after a disappointing attacking campaign which saw the Gunners’ goalscoring numbers decline significantly.
Bukayo Saka with
Bukayo Saka with Noni Madueke in England training (Credit: Eddie Keogh - The FA/ Getty Images).
Madueke is expected to provide depth to Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal winger has played 263 times for the Gunners at the age of just 23, with the volume of matches played finally catching up with him as he suffered his first major injury, spending nearly four months on the sidelines.
Arsenal will be carrying a large squad into next season; if they are to challenge for major honours, they can expect to play over 50 matches. Depth will be key.
Final word: Will this deal work out?
£50 million is certainly a large sum to pay for a squad option, especially to Chelsea, who can use that money to reinvest into Enzo Maresca’s squad and compete with the Gunners next season.
However, Madueke should ease the attacking burden on players like Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. The winger will provide pace and directness to a Gunners attack that has definitely lacked the latter.
If the Gunners can complete deals for Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze, Arsenal fans’ concerns will be eased; Arteta’s side needs to spend more to create a title-challenging side.
At the end of the day, if the Spaniard can deliver silverware to North London, then the fanbase will be delighted.