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Paul Merson has slammed Arsenal for agreeing a deal to sign Noni Madueke from Chelsea. He does not see the Englishman making the starting XI over Bukayo Saka and believes that it is too much money for a backup.
In his column for Sky Sports, Merson claimed that Madueke was the last player he would have signed from Chelsea if he were in charge of the Gunners. He added that the winger is not a prolific goal scorer nor consistent, but hopes that the Englishman can prove him wrong at the Emirates. He wrote:
"I am flabbergasted by Arsenal signing of Noni Madueke. I'm shocked. If Arsenal went and bought any player from Chelsea, he'd have been the last one I thought they'd sign. I just don't see it. It's a lot of money for a player who is not a prolific goalscorer. He's the sort of player that has a good game here and a good game there, but that'll be it. The consistency of performance isn't there."
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"I hope he proves me wrong, but he'll have the good games, just like he did for England last month. But then you won't see him for a few weeks. What I don't get is that Madueke's best position is playing on the right, cutting inside and getting shots away. Who does that for Arsenal? Bukayo Saka. And he's not coming out of the Arsenal starting XI."
The Gunners have agreed a £52 million deal with Chelsea for Madueke. He left Enzo Maresca's side just hours before they won the FIFA Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday, July 13.
Noni Madueke asked for Arsenal move, says Chelsea manager
Enzo Maresca spoke to the media ahead of the PSG clash in the FIFA Club World Cup final and claimed that the winger was in talks over a transfer. He added that the winger decided to leave, and he was happy to sell any player who was unwilling to stay. He said (via Standard)
"Noni is in contact with the new club. I guess that he's going to leave in the next hours. I said in one of the last press conferences, in the end if players want to leave, it's difficult for the club and for the manager. Noni decided to leave. No one said to Noni: 'You have to leave'. Noni decided to leave, and if he's happy, we're happy."
Chelsea signed Madueke from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 for a reported £29 million fee. He scored 20 goals and assisted 9 times in his 92 games for the Blues.
