Noni Madueke completed his £52 million move to Arsenal last week, in a deal that caused significant debate among the North London club’s supporters.
The Gunners were in the market for someone who could provide genuine cover and competition for Bukayo Saka, and identified the England international as the perfect man to do so.
However, fans were concerned about the addition of Madueke, not convinced that spending in excess of £50 million on a back-up to Saka was a smart allocation of resources.
Regardless, Arsenal completed the deal swiftly, with the winger now enjoying a holiday before meeting up with his new teammates for pre-season.

Noni Madueke to cut his holiday short to join up with Arsenal squad for pre-season
Madueke has not gone on Arsenal’s pre-season tour after being involved in Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign.
While the former PSV Eindhoven man would no doubt have liked to immediately integrate himself into Mikel Arteta’s squad, players are permitted at least a few weeks’ rest between seasons, and Arsenal enforced this.
However, Arteta revealed in his press conference on Friday that Madueke is set to take a shorter holiday than initially planned, so that he can settle in several weeks before the season commences.
“With Noni it was impossible, he needed some time,” the Spaniard said.
“I think he will take a shorter vacation than he said because he wants to join us straight away, as soon as we are back.
“However, the rest immediately is better, so they can join the team and get to know each other, and get the ideas we want to put in their minds.”
Some of the concerns around Madueke from Arsenal fans were around his perceived arrogance or nonchalance.
However, actions like reducing holiday time will certainly dispel these beliefs about his personality, indicating that he’s eager to make an impression and get to work as quickly as possible.
This is certainly a good sign about how determined he is to prove people wrong and hit the ground running at the Emirates.

Noni Madueke is a fantastic signing for Arsenal
Not only will Madueke allow Saka to enjoy proper rest throughout the season, but he also has the ability to develop into a superstar himself, potentially on the left-hand side.
The wide forward’s greatest traits are attributes Arsenal currently lack, with his ability to carry the ball into dangerous areas and take shots crucial facets of breaking down low blocks that the Gunners don’t have.
| Noni Madueke’s Premier League Statistics 2024/25 | |
| Appearances | 32 |
| Goals | 7 |
| Assists | 3 |
| Shots per 90 | 3.54 |
| Expected Goals per 90 | 0.42 |
| Key Passes per 90 | 1.42 |
| Expected Assists per 90 | 0.19 |
While he could improve from a creative standpoint, the underlying numbers from a goalscoring perspective suggest his output could explode, and being deployed on the left could help him do this.
With Arsenal building up on the right, there may be opportunities for Madueke to crash the back post and exploit overloads created from these build-up patterns.
The move for the Chelsea outcast looks to be another piece of smart business from Andrea Berta.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
