It was reported on Thursday afternoon that Chelsea winger Noni Madueke is on the verge of joining Arsenal in a deal worth around £50M. A ‘#NoToMadueke’ hashtag, and even a petition, have surfaced on social media as Arsenal fans protest the deal that looks like it is due to be completed over the next days.
Despite fan protest and confusion as to why the club need the England international, the Gunners are going ahead with the deal which Chelsea have agreed to as David Ornstein reports that they will allow Madueke to leave their Club World Cup camp.
“Noni Madueke granted permission by Chelsea to leave camp in USA + undertake medical before completing Arsenal switch. 23yo will not train with #CFC & flies to UK today after full agreement reached on £52m deal - 5yr #AFC contract in place.”
The 23-year-old has played 92 times for Chelsea since joining them from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 and scored 20 goals. He will be a fine addition to the Arsenal squad under manager Mikel Arteta who clearly has a plan for the winger that fans cannot see at the moment.
Arsenal already have Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, not to mention Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri. It is clear that fans want a striker ahead of the new season but the small difference in negotiations in price between the club and Sporting has been spent on the Chelsea star that many feel is a worrying move ahead of the new campaign.