Arsenal have received a huge blow in their pursuit of Noni Madueke after targeting the Chelsea winger, whose previous comments on leaving Tottenham Hotspur have come to light.
Following a disappointing 2024/25 campaign where they failed to last the distance in the Premier League title race, Arsenal are keen on adding quality players to their squad in the summer transfer window. Liverpool and Manchester City have already been very active this summer, and Arsenal are aware that to become the champions of England in the 2025/26 campaign, manager Mikel Arteta needs more firepower.
Arsenal manager Arteta and Sporting Director Andrea Berta are working hard behind the scenes to sign a top-class number nine, while a wide player is also on the wishlist.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea winger Madueke is a player that Arsenal have taken a shine to.
The report, published at 4:59pm UK time on Thursday, claimed that the former Tottenham prospect is on the ‘radar’ of Arsenal among other clubs.
Rivals reportedly believe that Chelsea could sell the 23-year-old this summer, with Arsenal having ‘looked at his situation’.
However, at 6:28pm UK time, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made it clear that the winger is not for sale.
BBC Sport journalist Nizaar Kinsella has quoted Maresca as saying about Madueke’s future: “Noni is our player, you can read a lot of speculation at the moment but we consider Noni our player for the coming season.”
Maresca made the aforementioned comments about Madueke in a press conference ahead of Chelsea’s match against Flamengo at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Madueke played predominantly as a right winger last season and scored 11 goals and gave five assists in 42 appearances, as Chelsea finished in the Premier League top five and won the Conference League.
What Noni Madueke said about leaving Tottenham
Arsenal and Tottenham are bitter north London rivals, and it is interesting that the Gunners have made Madueke a target despite his previous stint at Spurs.
The winger was on the books of Tottenham from 2014 until 2018 before he decided to leave for Dutch club PSV.
Speaking to Sky Sports in February 2023 about his decision to leave Tottenham, Madueke said: “Tottenham was a great academy and they’ve got a great development plan.
“I’d been offered a scholarship agreement at Tottenham but I’d seen a lot of the boys – that were good as well – just kind of get lost in the system and I just didn’t want that for me.
“Going to PSV is not going to harm my development at all and if I’m good enough, I’m going to play quick in the first team, so that was really my mindset.
“I’m thinking ‘if I jump the queue, I’ll just be better than all my peers because whilst they’re playing Under-18’s and Under-21’s, I’ll be playing against men.”
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