Despite the online petition set up by a small section of Arsenal fans, Noni Madueke (£7.0m) last week completed a transfer that will intrigue Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
Moving from Chelsea to the Gunners is a well-trodden path in recent years and it’s not even the first of this summer – that belongs to goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (£4.5m).
The initial £48.5m deal also follows the midfield arrivals of Martin Zubimendi (£5.5m) and Christian Norgaard (£5.5m). So, on which wing will the 23-year-old be used and will that bring an FPL impact?
We’ll take a look during this Moving Target piece, which includes data and images from our Members Area.
HISTORY
Chukwunonso Tristan Madueke is Barnet-born. He spent time at the academies of Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur before signing for PSV Eindhoven in 2018, to get a quicker pathway to senior football.
| SEASON | CLUB | DIVISION | STARTS (SUB) | GOALS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Chelsea | Premier League | 27 (5) | 7 | 5 |
| 2023/24 | Chelsea | Premier League | 13 (10) | 5 | 3 |
| 2022/23 | Chelsea | Premier League | 7 (5) | 1 | 0 |
| 2022/23 | PSV Eindhoven | Eredivisie | 2 (3) | 1 | 0 |
| 2021/22 | PSV Eindhoven | Eredivisie | 11 (7) | 3 | 3 |
| 2020/21 | PSV Eindhoven | Eredivisie | 7 (17) | 7 | 6 |
2020/21 was Madueke’s breakthrough campaign, starting with four goals and three assists from the first seven league games. It ended on a total of seven goals in just 956 minutes – a good rate – although some minor knocks mostly limited Madueke to substitute appearances for the remaining matches.
The next season-and-a-half were also hampered by muscle and ankle injuries, but Chelsea saw enough talent to swoop for around £29m in January 2023.
So far, his FPL career peaked with 20 points in Gameweek 2 of last season. This hat-trick at Wolverhampton Wanderers came hours after insulting the city on Instagram.
A further 13 points came against Southampton in Gameweek 14, following a strong end to 2023/24 that brought hauls in Gameweeks 35 and 36. Plus, an argument with Nicolas Jackson over taking a penalty when 4-0 up.
However, his time at Stamford Bridge has ended on a high, securing two trophies in as many months.
On the international stage, Madueke is of Nigerian descent but has represented England at many age levels. He played in all six matches of England’s victorious European Under-21 Championship journey and made his senior debut at home to Finland last September.
He quickly set up Harry Kane’s strike, also assisting versus Greece and Andorra in six further caps.
PLAYING STYLE
“I am a bit of a showman. I try to beat players. I am fast. I have an eye for goal. That is how I would describe myself. My biggest strengths are still my speed and my dribbling but I would say that my end product is good as well now.” – Noni Madueke in April 2022
Fast and skilful, Madueke clearly likes to dribble. Yet his take-on numbers have never gotten close to Premier League masters like Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m), Eberechi Eze (£7.5m), Jeremy Doku (£6.5m) and Matheus Cunha (£8.0m).
He did rank first for shot-ending carries per 90 (1.63) during the latest campaign, though.
Instead, he surprisingly ended fifth for touches inside the box (200), from fewer minutes than those above. New teammate Gabriel Martinelli (£7.0m) came sixth.
After expected goals (xG) overachievement in 2023/24 (+2.49), Madueke suddenly received a huge boost in penalty area shots under the guidance of Enzo Maresca.
Above: The near-goal positioning of Madueke’s six shots during last August’s hat-trick trip to Wolves
These 66 were the ninth-most overall and sat third amongst FPL midfielders, including one in the return fixture against Wolves, where he basically scored a goal on the line to deny Cole Palmer (£10.5m) owners an assist.
This time, his season ended with xG underachievement (-2.64), suggesting that his decision-making can be improved upon.
WHERE MADUEKE FITS IN AT ARSENAL
Of course, almost all of these were as a right-winger. But surely he doesn’t displace Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) in Arsenal’s starting XI. Even if Mikel Arteta gave his star player a slightly lighter workload, there’s also Ethan Nwaneri (£5.5m) as an option there.
It’s a large fee for simply adding depth, so perhaps Arteta intends to use Madueke as a left-footer on the left flank to add width by going around the outside, rather than using two inverted wingers.
Above: The Athletic studied Madueke’s 2024/25 ball progression from wide areas
Almost all of Madueke’s Chelsea career has been spent on the right flank. It was just during recent months that things began to change, making nine of his final Chelsea appearances from the left.
Maybe he blew Arteta away since making the switch?
No attacking returns from that position suggests not.
Outside of the first occasion, at home to Everton in Gameweek 34, only two shots on target took place and he failed to create a big chance.
Even so, the small sample size of three-and-a-half league games (having been sacrificed at half-time thanks to Jackson’s red card at Newcastle United) accumulated 1.91 expected goal involvement (xGI).
Everton was his season’s best match for total take-ons (eight), as Gameweek 35 versus Liverpool came joint-second (six). Both shared top spot for successful take-ons (four).
Arteta possibly saw potential in that.
WILL MADUEKE BE WORTH BUYING IN FPL?
Arsenal’s early encounters (Gameweek 2 aside) don’t fare well on our Fixture Ticker and, while Saka remains fit, Madueke’s appeal likely depends on the futures of Martinelli and Leandro Trossard (£7.0m). The latter – bewilderingly Arsenal’s top FPL scorer for 2024/25 – has been linked with a departure.
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Should the long-awaited purchase of a genuine striker take place, it will boost the prospects of all Arsenal assets. But should Eze also move across London to join, that’s four new additions purely in midfield. It’s starting to feel a bit bloated, and squad depth usually means bad news for FPL managers.
Madueke has moments of brilliance and can be exciting when it comes to one-on-ones, but there’s a lack of consistency.
Gunners fans are perhaps right to feel underwhelmed by this one. Especially when they were linked with Rodrygo and Nico Williams – big-name players who have actual left-sided experience.
We won’t get to see much of Madueke in pre-season, either. Afforded a post-Club World Cup breather, he’s not part of Arsenal’s squad in the Far East.
“With Noni it wasn’t possible [for him to be in the travelling squad] because he needed some time and he’s going to take a short vacation. He said he wants to join straight away, as soon as we are back.” – Mikel Arteta, speaking on Friday
We’ll see him in two friendlies at most, then, and we’ll likely need more information than that before deciding whether he’s going to be reliable for starts.
Perhaps by Gameweek 7, when the Gunners have a decent run of six games, we’ll know the answer to that.
