Arsenal have rarely benefitted after taking a player from a direct rival in recent times.
Willian was a major disappointment for Mikel Arteta after moving to north London following the end of his contract at Chelsea, while there was also little success for Henrikh Mkhitaryan after his switch from Manchester United in January 2018.
However, Arsenal now appear to have negotiated a successful deal with a Premier League rival as Noni Madueke makes an electric start to the 2025/26 campaign.
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Impressive Noni Madueke displays must be a concern for Chelsea
Arsenal fans were livid after £52m was spent to sign the England international from Chelsea back in July.
It continued a theme of taking players who Chelsea no longer wanted, like the aforementioned Willian, as well as David Luiz and Kai Havertz.
However, just as Chelsea experienced when buying Cole Palmer from Manchester City as he was on the cusp of a breakthrough season, Madueke is starting to blossom too.
The Arsenal No.20 was arguably the best performer for Arteta in the recent 1-0 defeat at Anfield, causing Milos Kerkez all sorts of problems as he recorded three shots and regularly burst down the flank.
Madueke then scored his first goal for England during the 5-0 rout over Serbia on Tuesday evening, showing real ruthlessness to cut across his defender and rifle a shot high into the net.
At the age of just 23, there is plenty of time for the man from Barnet to become a key player at Arsenal, and make Chelsea feel a similar regret to what Manchester City experienced after offloading Palmer in September 2023.
How Noni Madueke usually fares on the left as Mikel Arteta has headache on the horizon
Previously, an injury to Bukayo Saka would be a complete and utter disaster for Arsenal – as it was last season when the Hale End graduate missed four months of a campaign which ended without silverware.
However, Madueke has taken the opportunity to shine on that right flank since the Arsenal No.7 went off injured against Leeds, showing exactly why Arteta moved to spend £52m on his arrival.
When Saka returns, he will presumably go straight into the starting XI, but the worrying form of Gabriel Martinelli means Madueke should be considered as a starter on the left side.
Position Games Goals Assists
Right Winger 158 46 28
Striker 14 4 4
Left Winger 14 2 1
Attacking Midfield 8 3 0
Right Midfield 5 1 1
Second Striker 1 0 2
(Transfermarkt)
The Londoner has only previously made 14 appearances on the left, but has shown signs of promise with two goals and one assist.
These are hardly numbers to shout from the rooftops, but if Martinelli continues to struggle, it is worth the experiment for Arteta.