Arsenal have praised the transfer signing of Noni Madueke, who has impressed since joining from rivals Chelsea in the summer.
Former Blues striker Chris Sutton said at the time that he felt Madueke’s departure from Stamford Bridge could damage his old club, and it looks increasingly like a wise move by the Gunners.
Maduke started in Arsenal’s midweek Champions League match against Club Brugge, scoring two goals in a 3-0 win.
The England international also scored in the recent game against Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium and could be a valuable addition to the squad, taking pressure off Bukayo Saka, who often had to play 90 minutes in almost every Arsenal game.
Chris Sutton praises Noni Madueke after signing for Arsenal
“It wasn’t just the goals that Noni Maduke made an impact. He performed very well throughout the game and showed he was ready to do the job when called upon,” Sutton said via BBC Sport.
“Arsenal’s depth has been much praised this season and at the moment Arteta is dealing with a number of injuries in key positions.
“But in those wide areas he has a lot of options and the fact that he was able to bring Maduke and Martinelli off the bench against Villa at the weekend and start them tonight and see them both score great goals is a real positive.”
“Increasingly, Madueke is looking like a very smart player. I already thought he was lost to Chelsea, but now that he’s back from injury, we can see that Arsenal can have Saka on the right or use him. That bodes really well for them as they have a very busy period ahead.”
Will Madueke be able to challenge Saka for a place?
Some Arsenal fans may feel that Maduke is showing signs of challenging Saka for a place in Mikel Arteta’s starting XI.
After some injuries, Saka slowed down a bit and showed occasional signs of not being at his best.
| All comps for 2025/26 | game | the goal | assist |
| Bukayo Saka | 20 | 7 | 2 |
| call maduike | 12 | 3 | 0 |
Yet, as the statistics above show, he still puts up great numbers for Arsenal, showing how important he is to the team, even though his fitness and form have not yet reached the peak of 100%.
Madueke has his qualities and is sure to improve once he settles more at Arsenal, but he is one of many players in this team who have been plagued by injuries this term.
