Arsenal players celebrate with Noni Madueke after his goal
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
For many Arsenal fans, Noni Madueke is seen as a player who contributes to the team but ultimately, falls short of the levels of the very best players in the squad.
Since signing for £50m, Madueke has played his part in the team and his ability to play in both wide areas has been a crucial asset for Mikel Arteta.
Nevertheless, a lack of goals and assists last season – despite playing a key role in the title charge – had many assuming Madueke might well be moved on this summer. However, that was not the case and now, Madueke has a huge chance to prove himself.
Why Noni Madueke has to take his chance while Bukayo Saka is injured
There is now no doubt that Madueke has to step up to the plate for Arsenal. With Saka injured and Christos Tzolis also out on the other side, he’s basically guaranteed to play.
Mikel Arteta has thrown his weight behind Madueke too, praising him in recent weeks.
“Noni puts a smile on my face, because he’s a special character. Very much loved in and around the dressing room. The way he connects, talks to people, he’s just a special guy,” Arteta said.
“I think I saw an interview where they were asking a few of our players ‘who would you call if you had a problem?’ and some of them said Noni. I was surprised by that! But that’s a massive credit and shows the exact sort of person he is. After the break, he’s shown something else – another level of anger and conviction in his actions, and he’s becoming now decisive in matches which is what we expect from our players.
“He’s a player where it doesn’t really matter if he’s on the left or right. He has had a lot more minutes on the right side, but at the moment, the team needs him [on the left] and he has done very well.”
Now, Madueke needs to repay that faith by producing in Saka’s absence.
Clearly, he needs to up the ante in terms of his goals and assists output. So far, he has hit the net twice this season in all competitions but that needs to continue and also improve. For reference, Saka’s output was one of his poorest in years last term but he still managed 11 goals and 9 assists for the season.
That is the level we need to see from Madueke now. Ultimately, goals win games. And for all the threat he brings to the table with his pace and running at defenders, he has to produce.
Now, with Saka out for weeks, Madueke finally has the chance to show he is and can be Arsenal’s main man.
If he fails, then we can fully expect to see the Gunners look to do business in January again.