Noni Madueke to Arsenal? Why fans are doubting the Chelsea winger – and why they might be wrong | Football News

slick17 hours ago

0 0 6 minutes read

Noni Madueke’s prosecution caused a noisy fans online reaction. A survey carried out by Sky Sports shows that around 70% of 35,000 voters believe that it would be a bad signature. Some have even signed a petition against the agreement.

For many, frustration is again resulting from Arsenal in Chelsea purchases. Madueke will become the seventh player in six years to go from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates stadium. The list contains prudence tales in David Luiz, Willian and Raheem Sterling.

Come back further and there are more examples, from William Gallas and Lassana Diarra to Petr Cech. Overall, it is clear which club has benefited the most of the transactions. Even the most successful signatures, especially Kai Havertz, continue to divide opinion.

The costs of 65 million pounds sterling paid for Havertz remain a subject of debate, two years later, and the finances involved in the Madueke agreement are even more controversial. Arsenal will pay up to 52 million pounds sterling, allowing Chelsea to make a huge profit on a player they signed for 29 million pounds sterling in 2023.

This is a high price, especially for a player who plays mainly in the same position as Bukayo Saka. Arsenal fans have the right to wonder if Madueke has done enough in the past two and a half years in Chelsea to justify a 70% increase in its value.

A lack of final product was a source of frustration. Madueke started last season last season with a hat-trick against the Wolves in a 6-2 victory in Molinine, but only marked seven times and only provided three assists in 32 Premier League appearances in total.

The upper numbers are modest, but Arsenal will have noted that they could easily have been higher. Statistically, Madueke’s shots were worth a total of 9.66 goals expected.

The fact that it has scored almost three goals less than “expected” can be interpreted as proof that it is a bad finisher, but it is more likely that the variance is more likely. Last season seems an aberrant value; The first of Madueke’s career in which he underperformed on his expected goals.

Arsenal will have confidence in an average reversion could bring higher yields in the future and, even in the midst of questions on its final product, there is no doubt to the threat it provides.

Madueke ranked among the best 15 players in the Premier League for planned non-penalty goals and combined decisive assists for 90 minutes last season. He was in the top 10 for the shots by 90 minutes and even higher for the keys in the opposition box, in fifth.

He is not standing and straight, he is not the most aesthetic of the players. His racing style may seem clumsy. But he is a quick and effective ball carrier whose franchise would give Arsenal another weapon on transitions and when the compact defenses rupture.

Last season, he ranked in the lead among all the Premier League players for end -of -shooting races by 90 minutes, on 1.63. His average of 1.98 successful dribbles placed almost level with Saka (2.13) and far ahead of Martinelli (1.29) or Leandro Trossard (1.34).

Saka Sabe-up or Martinelli?

Of course, Madueke’s best job came on the right side, where Saka has become a must in the Mikel Arteta team. The academy’s product is the best and most important arsenal player.

Madueke’s chance of usurper looks thin. What he can do, however, is to provide a high-quality alternative, to share the workload of his teammate from England and therefore to reduce the risk of another injury such as the tear of the hamstrings which has proven to be so expensive the last mandate.

But, Arsenal surely did not spend 50 million pounds sterling just for a saka backup? Especially when they already have extremely promising ethan nwaneri, whose development should remain a priority.

With reports suggesting that Trossard could be sold this summer, Madueke should also be used as an option on the left.

It is reasonable that arsenal fans feel disappointed by this perspective given the previous links to more publicized targets such as Rodrygo from Real Madrid. Madueke, unlike international Brazil, is not even natural on this side.

At first glance, his appearances on the left for Chelsea in the last weeks of last season do not seem to offer a lot of encouragement. Madueke produced no objective or decisive goal at the start of this side. However, he produced encouraging screens.

There was a particularly catchy performance in a 1-0 victory against Everton in April, when he forced a series of stops by Jordan Pickford. A week later, in a 3-1 victory against Liverpool, he was just as dangerous, with Arne Slot describing the problems caused by his dribble as “something he had never seen before” against his side.

Madueke was then used on the left by the boss of England Thomas Tuchel. He was one of the few players to impress in their narrow World Cup qualification victory over Andorra last month.

However, it is not the most convincing work.

Madueke was used almost exclusively on the right side by the former PSV club Eindhoven. Less than 10% of its first League minutes came to the left for Chelsea.

Concern about the work rate or false idea?

Madueke will have to prove his left references to arsenal fans. Some will also say that it also has something to prove in terms of work rate and temperament.

Enzo Maresca clearly appreciated Madueke, creating him more times than any other Chelsea winger last season, but he also questioned the consistency of his request. “Noni can do much more,” he said in December before dropping him for a match against Fulham. “He must understand that he must train well every day.”

The comments of Maresca, associated with an inconteless dispute with teammate Nicolas Jackson, for a penalty against Everton last year, helped shape Madueke’s negative perceptions, but others that led him to paint a very different image.

Saul Isaksson-Hurst, technical specialist and skills that works with Madueke on an individual basis since his time in PSV, described it as a “mentality monster” in the conversation with Sky Sports Before his move to Chelsea.

“He’s so motivated,” he added. “He has such a clear vision of what he wants to do and he is ready to put work.” It was, after all, a young player who chose to leave the Tottenham Academy for PSV at the age of 16 in the interest of self-improvement.

Another coach who worked with Madueke in the youth teams in England describes him in similar terms when asked by Sky Sports, To say that he is an “adorable boy” who is “led to succeed and to solve”, and who “listens to the advice of his coaches”.

This same feeling came from the predecessor of Maresca, Mauricio Pochettino, in May of last year, when, in the press room of Stamford Bridge after a victory over Tottenham, he distinguished Madueke for his “incredible” defensive work to help the full rear recruit Alfie Gilchrist case with Heung-Min son.

For Arteta, the hope is that he will be able to shape Malueke in the player he needs, whether right or left.

But there is no exhaust that it is a high -risk movement at the price. At certain levels, the doubts of supporters are understandable. Madueke is not an obvious upgrade on one or the other side. However, he has exciting tools with which to work and, at 23, potential to be exploited.