Noni Madueke is officially a new Arsenal player.
The Gunners entered the market looking for a winger, someone who could play on both flanks. The likes of Rodrygo and Nico Williams were all heavily linked, but Mikel Arteta decided to go with the Chelsea man in the end.
On Friday, Arsenal announced that Madueke has joined the club on a long-term contract, and behind-the-scenes footage showed that he was accompanied by his closest people.
Among them was a player who spent many years at Arsenal.
Tyreece John-Jules returned to watch Noni Madueke join Arsenal
Tyreece John-Jules joined Arsenal when he was just eight years old.
The talented attacker came through the ranks at Hale End and played several games for the Arsenal academy sides.
John-Jules also made the first-team bench on six occasions, including in the Community Shield that Arsenal won against Liverpool in 2020.
However, injuries really troubled John-Jules and stopped him from fulfilling his potential at the Emirates. He was released by the Gunners in 2024, after which he joined Crawley Town for a year.
Arsenal fans haven’t seen much of John-Jules since he left the club, but he returned to watch Noni Madueke sign for the Gunners.
When the new Arsenal number 20 was asked about John-Jules, he said: “That’s just one of my closest friends!
“We do a lot of things together. We played together for England as well. So yeah, I’m really happy that he’s here with me today.”
What Mikel Arteta once said about Tyreece John-Jules
John-Jules was very highly rated behind the scenes at Arsenal.
Many at the club felt that he had what it takes to become a senior player. Even Arteta was blown away by him after seeing him train.
“When he was with us, I was impressed with him, his understanding of the game, how he links with the people around him, how powerful he is,” Arteta said in a press conference in March 2020.
“He has got a goal in him.”
John-Jules is now a free agent after being released by Crawley Town. It will be interesting to see where he will end up next.
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