Noni Madueke’s move from Chelsea to Arsenal has been the worst-kept secret in the transfer rumour mill this month.
Even though Noni Madueke, 23, was with the Chelsea squad this summer playing at the Club World Cup, Blues head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed his departure from the group last week before the final to complete a transfer to a new club.
Finally, the Gunners officially announced the signing of the winger via X on Friday.
Chelsea are internally pleased with Madueke’s sale, which ends two-and-a-half years for him at Stamford Bridge. It will now be interesting to see how the England international fares across London at the Emirates Stadium.
Noni Madueke playing for Chelsea against Liverpool in the Premier League.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Noni Madueke says goodbye to Chelsea
On Friday afternoon, Madueke uploaded a farewell post on Instagram to confirm his Chelsea exit. It included a heartfelt message to Maresca, thanking him for his support across the last year.
Even though he was at Chelsea less than three years, Madueke actually worked under several different managers, originally signing when Graham Potter was in the dugout.
Coach Appearances Goals Assists
Enzo Maresca 46 11 5
Mauricio Pochettino 34 8 5
Graham Potter 5 0 0
Frank Lampard 7 1 0
Bruno Saltor 0 0 0
Noni Madueke’s record at Chelsea under each manager
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Madueke didn’t enjoy playing left wing towards the latter stages of last season under Maresca, even if we do think he suited the role. Instead, the left-footed wide man much prefers to cut infield from the right flank, something that could be quite rare when battling with Bukayo Saka at Arsenal.
Back in December 2024, Maresca said Madueke can do “much more” because he’s always been pushing him to become a better player.
The skilful winger leaves after delivering some exceptional moments in Chelsea colours, but he couldn’t quite find the consistency in his game in West London.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca during a training session at Cobham.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea are stacked despite Noni Madueke’s departure
While it’s sad to lose Madueke after his efforts in a Chelsea shirt, the squad still looks very strong in the wide areas.
The Blues are about to welcome both Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian as two super exciting wingers to the group for the 2025/26 season. They could be competing with the likes of Pedro Neto and Tyrique George to start, plus versatile attackers Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro can even operate in wide areas.
On paper, Madueke’s exit massively opens the door for highly-rated talent Estevao, 18, to try hit the ground immediately. Marc Cucurella praised Estevao after directly coming up against the teenager at the Club World Cup.