Arsenal are to complete a massive summer transfer as they wrap up the Chelsea winger Noni Madueke’s move.Â
The Gunners are reportedly accepting a greater than £50 million bid from their London counterparts to sign the 23-year-old for the city side.
Having already taken the initiative to sign Madueke on terms negotiated last week in this transfer window, the final process left is paperwork to complete with Arsenal to seal their third summer signing up front. The deal will follow Chelsea’s attendance at the Club World Cup, where Madueke played off the bench as they defeated Fluminense 2-0 to qualify for the final.
Madueke, signed from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, has played 92 games and scored 20 goals. Previously, he had been in the Netherlands for more than four years plying his trade there where he established a name on dribbling simplicity and slashing attacking.
Preferred to play on the right wing, where he has logged most of his Premier League minutes. He’s worth keeping at Arsenal as a player, so flexible, especially as a reliable back-up for Bukayo Saka, who has worked so unbelievably hard the last three years. Saka featured in 108 of the Gunners’ previous 114 league matches but has recently been unavailable for several weeks due to a hamstring problem and raising questions about team depth and players’ fatigue.
Madueke provides more than just cover. With his left, and with his tendency to cut inside on his favored left foot on the right wing, he is replicating Saka’s style of football but holding doubt when played out wide to the left wing. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca tried Madueke on the left wing late in the last season, starting with the UEFA Conference League final , then he played in the England vs. Andorra match, in which Madueke helped set up Harry Kane’s winner.
Tactically, he offers fresh competition to Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli on the left, speed, ball protection, and threat inside the box to Mikel Arteta’s attack. Statistically, Madueke had a better shots per 90 minutes ratio, attempted more successful dribbles, and moved the ball forward more in combined play than Martinelli and Trossard in the recently concluded Premier League season.
Expert transfer Fabrizio Romano was quick to respond to the transfer by posting a “here we go” signing on his Twitter page. Madueke has already signed a five-year contract with Arsenal and will travel later this week to complete his medical before signing on the dotted line.
The signings are a public declaration of Arsenal’s stated desire to construct a more attacking-style team with greater depth that will be capable of competing across all competitions in the forthcoming 2025-26 season.
