When Noni Madueke could make his Arsenal debut after £52m transfer officially announced

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Arsenal have announced the £52 million signing of Noni Madueke from Chelsea.

Andrea Berta has prioritised strengthening the wide areas of Arsenal’s attack this summer, and after being linked with the likes of Nico Williams and Rodrygo, has settled on the 23-year-old England international.

Despite the negative reaction to the links, Arsenal feel they’ve secured an excellent deal for Madueke, convinced that his output could explode if he’s given the right environment around him.

The deal was made official on Friday, with the former Chelsea star becoming the Gunners’ fourth signing of the summer after Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard.

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When could Noni Madueke make his Arsenal debut?

Madueke has been playing non-stop football for almost 12 months.

Concluding the domestic season in late May, as Chelsea won the Europa Conference League, the former PSV Eindhoven man then immediately went on international duty with England in early June.

Then returning to Chelsea for the Club World Cup, he hasn’t had a break from playing since last summer.

For this reason, Madueke won’t feature on Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong, with players permitted at least three weeks of holiday.

This means he’ll miss games against AC Milan, Newcastle and Tottenham, but could make his debut after that.

The Englishman will be expected to commence training with his new teammates from the week beginning August 4th.

The Gunners entertain Villarreal on August 6th, and this could be when Madueke first sets foot on the Emirates pitch as an Arsenal player.

However, he may only have been in training a matter of days at that point, so it’s more likely that his debut will come against Athletic Club on August 9th, a week before the Premier League season kicks off.

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Noni Madueke’s statistics

Despite the negative noise around the Madueke deal, the player is actually supremely talented and should add a lot to Arsenal’s often sterile attack.

The Gunners have been accused of being laborious and conservative in possession at times, and these are two adjectives that certainly cannot be used to describe Madueke.

The explosive wide forward is an exceptional ball carrier and dribbler, constantly looking to drive at the opposition defence with direct bursts with the ball.

He’s also willing to let fly more than any other Arsenal player, taking 3.54 shots per 90 minutes last season.

This unpredictability and flair should help the Gunners break down stubborn low blocks, which was their kryptonite last season.

Overall, the Madueke signing is an astute piece of business from Berta.