Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will head into the 2025/26 Premier League season with an exciting new option in attack Noni Madueke. The 23-year-old winger, signed from Chelsea this summer, is a player Arteta has admired since his days at PSV Eindhoven, and sporting director Andrea Berta finally delivered him to north London.
Madueke’s arrival could prompt changes in Arsenal’s forward line, with Leandro Trossard likely to depart. That may open up opportunities for the former Chelsea man to feature on the left wing, even though his natural position is on the right.
Noni Madueke part of a huge debate, what do you think?
On Stick to Football, Gary Neville described the move as “strange”, noting Chelsea fans had mixed views. Ian Wright countered, saying Madueke has the ability to take players out of the game with his pace and skill, urging him to “show them” why Arsenal wanted him. But it was Roy Keane who provided perhaps the most intriguing perspective:
“He could be that surprise package, right? Sometimes a player comes in and he’s under that radar, and he actually does it.”
While Madueke’s career so far has seen him rack up 47 goals and 29 assists in 163 games from the right wing, breaking into a side where Bukayo Saka is the undisputed starter will be difficult. That’s why his route to regular football might lie on the left flank.
Arteta’s system has often relied on inverted wingers, but with the arrival of Viktor Gyokeres as a traditional striker, a left-footed winger playing on the left could create a more direct, dangerous threat. Madueke’s pace, 1v1 ability, and tendency to attack space could perfectly complement Gyokeres’ penalty-box instincts.
If he adapts quickly, Madueke could go from Chelsea outcast to Arsenal’s most unexpected weapon, a true “surprise package” ready to thrive under Arteta.
