Troy Deeney says Mikel Arteta is about to drop ‘excellent’ Arsenal star

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Troy Deeney thinks Mikel Arteta is about to make a contentious team selection decision for Arsenal.

The Gunners host Manchester City on the weekend, after beating Athletic Club in the Champions League on Tuesday night in Bilbao.

While Arteta has happily chopped and changed his team depending on the opposition thus far, the clash against City will almost certainly see the Spaniard name the best starting eleven available to him.

Given the depth in the manager’s squad after a summer of spending, this means certain individuals with significant pedigree will be left out.

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Troy Deeney thinks Noni Madueke will be dropped immediately for Bukayo Saka

Arsenal signed Noni Madueke from Chelsea this summer for £52 million.

Expected to provide Bukayo Saka with cover and competition, as well as compete for a place on the left wing, the ex-Chelsea star has filled in for the Gunners’ talisman during his injury absence.

Madueke has been ‘brilliant’ during Saka’s lay-off, impressing in games against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, as well as for England over the international break.

However, with the Hale End graduate’s return imminent, Troy Deeney believes Madueke is set to be instantly relegated back to the bench.

“When Saka comes back, do you think they’re not going to play Saka?” Deeney questioned on the Football Exchange YouTube channel.

“Sorry, they’re going to play Madueke? No, because they know Saka gets you goals, gets you assists, and as you just said, he’s four with 0, 0, 0, 0 at the moment.”

Noni Madueke’s output does need to improve

While a brutally harsh verdict from Deeney, he does have a point.

Madueke is arguably as effective as Saka at beating his man and getting to the by-line, and he actually boasts greater pace and direct running power than his counterpart.

However, the gap in quality between the players’ final pass, cross or shot is significant at the moment. This was reflected in a lot of Madueke’s actions against Athletic Club in Bilbao.

The new signing was typically energetic and willing to drive on the outside, but he struggled to find a man when looking for cutbacks, often clipping the ball into a defender or the goalkeeper’s arms.

Saka consistently finds onrushing runners in red and white shirts, which sees him accumulate impressive goal and assist numbers.

Meanwhile, Madueke is yet to get off the mark, and he needs to start producing in this aspect if he’s to seriously challenge Saka for a place in the team.