IN one of the most important transfer windows in Mikel Arteta’s tenure, the pursuit of Chelsea’s £55million-rated Noni Madueke has divided the Arsenal fanbase.
So much so that since the news of the Gunners’ formal approach, over 1,000 Arsenal supporters so far have signed a petition urging the club NOT to sign him.
But the numbers show that there is method behind the supposed madness, with Arteta targeting a player who may well give his squad something they have been missing during three successive second-place Prem finishes.
As well as a world class No.9 – with Viktor Gyokeres’ arrival in the works – the Gunners have been in desperate need of competition in the wide areas alongside the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
It is why Raheem Sterling was brought in on a last-ditch Deadline Day loan last summer, and highlighted further during Saka’s three month absence last term following hamstring surgery.
Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams and Real Madrid’s Rodrygo have been monitored during this window, only for negotiations to break down over the past few weeks, while Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze – with a £68m release clause – and Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman remain ongoing targets.
Madueke – a left-footer who can play on both flanks – has struggled to nail down a permanent starting spot under Blues boss Enzo Maresca, with seven Prem goals and three assists in 27 starts last campaign.
So, it begs the question: Why does Arteta want him?
The answer appears to lie in the England international’s bravery on the ball from wide positions, something Arsenal struggled with last year, especially on the left through Martinelli and Trossard.
Having netted 91 Prem goals in 2023/24, they scored 22 fewer last term. Arguably, this was largely down to long-term injuries to strikers Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
But Arteta’s system relies on creativity and bursts of energy down the flanks to commit defenders and create spaces for the likes of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice through the middle, with accurate deliveries into the box essential also.
Last season, Belgium international Trossard averaged 2.8 attempted dribbles per game, completing 1.3 of them. Brazilian Martinelli averaged 3.9 attempted dribbles, but also with a completion rate of 1.3.
This is where Madueke, 23, stands out – averaging 4.3 attempted dribbles for Chelsea last season, completing two of them every 90 minutes.
While the right-footed pair of Trossard and Martinelli more often than not like to cut inside, Madueke offers something different in driving past defenders and crossing with his left – a potential X-factor that Arsenal are missing, especially with a target man like Havertz, and potentially Gyokeres, waiting in the box.
With an elite striker to provide for, as opposed to the hugely inconsistent Nicolas Jackson, Madueke’s numbers would likely improve alongside better players in a tried-and-tested system.
In other metrics, Madueke can match and often improve on Trossard and Martinelli.
He averaged 2.8 open-play crosses per 90, more than Trossard [2.7] but less than Martinelli [3.5], with 0.5 of them being successful [Trossard 0.5, Martinelli 0.8].
Madueke also created on average 0.3 big chances per 90 [Martinelli 0.3, Trossard 0.5].
In terms of touches per 90, Madueke is always heavily involved in build-up play with an average of 47 [Martinelli 42, Trossard 50] and completed 26 passes per game [Martinelli 23, Trossard 30].
There is also the added bonus of Madueke’s versatility, something Arteta loves in a player, being able to play on the right too, providing competition for Saka and on occasion giving the England star a much-needed rest during a gruelling campaign.
Obsessive in nature, Arteta does just as much homework on what a transfer target is like off the pitch as well as on it, ensuring they have the right temperament and professionalism to seamlessly blend in with a dressing room the Spanish coach has worked so hard to build in North London.
Back in December, after dropping the player for a clash against Aston Villa, Maresca explained: “The moment that he starts to score or assist and is happy, he starts to drop a little bit. I don’t like the way he trained. He has to understand that he has to train well every day, he has to be ambitious.”
But speaking to those closest to Madueke, SunSport has been told that despite reported doubts, the player has a “top mentality”, is desperate to play with and against the best at the highest level and would relish the chance to fight for a starting spot at Arsenal.
It may be an unpopular signing, but Madueke may well be a young star that Arteta is willing to mould into a game-changer that can win over the ever-demanding Arsenal fans.
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