Chelsea star Noni Madueke has been strongly linked with a move across the capital to Arsenal this summer—and it turns out the player has been ‘incredibly’ complimentary of the North London outfit. The winger, who arrived at the Blues from PSV in 2023 under Graham Potter, has also spoken highly of Gunners frontman Bukayo Saka.
Mikel Arteta has been kept rather busy recently, as he is still yet to finalise deals for Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi, while Nuno Tavares, Marquinhos, Jorginho and Kieran Tierney have all departed the club. Now reports claim another incoming could not be too far behind, with the Arsenal boss looking to add depth in the wide areas.
The Telegraph has reported the Gunners have ‘enquired’ about Madueke’s availability and see him as a great option.
The 23-year-old scored 11 and assisted five in 42 appearances across all competitions last season, including a hat-trick against Wolves last August as Enzo Maresca guided Chelsea to a fourth-placed finish and a return to UEFA Champions League football.
Speaking to the Daily Mail ahead of a derby meeting between the two sides in November, the Englishman showed his admiration for Arsenal, calling them a “great team”.
He also made sure to mention how he was desperate to ‘get one over’ on two of his potential future teammates, and England colleagues, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.
“They’re still a great team and they’ve challenged for the title for the last couple of year,” he remarked. “In terms of us, we are just going to prepare for this as we do any other match.
“There’s always a little bit of bragging rights with the boys but I’m going into Sunday trying to win for sure, but there’s always that added rivalry when you play with them for the national team as well.”
Heaping the praise on Saka, he added: “Even as an academy player, the north London derbies were always super competitive. Bukayo was always a great player. He was a goal threat, fast, strong and always made the right decisions – just like he does now.”
Just last September, Rice and Saka were in the replies to Madueke’s Instagram post following his debut for England against Finland.
Declan commented “bolide noir”—which is French for ‘black sports car’—while Bukayo simply replied with an applauding emoji.
Madueke joined Chelsea from the Netherlands in a deal worth just shy of £30 million two years ago, and it remains unknown just how much the Blues will ask for his services. According to Transfermarkt, the player is valued at £40 million.
