Arsenal have been handed a Noni Madueke injury blow as Mikel Arteta receives some news about the in-form summer signing.
Noni Madueke subbed off half-time with injury in Man City draw
The England winger’s electric start to life in north London has attracted due praise, with Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera arguably standing out as Andrea Berta’s finest purchases thus far.
Arteta has started Madueke in five out of Arsenal’s first six games in all competitions so far, and the England international has repaid that faith by terrorising full-backs with his trickery, burst of pace and initiative in the final third.
Kepa Arrizabalaga
£5m
Martin Zubimendi
£60m
Christian Norgaard
£15m
Noni Madueke
£52m
Cristhian Mosquera
£13m
Viktor Gyokeres
£55m
Eberechi Eze
£67.5m
Piero Hincapie
Loan
Just months ago, Gunners supporters were protesting the ex-Chelsea star’s arrival with a petition and ‘#NoToMadueke’ movement on social media platform X, but fast-forward to now, and those same fans are now very worried about a potential long-term injury for him.
Madueke has also shined for the Three Lions under Thomas Tuchel on international duty, and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville is among the critics to admit they’ve been left surprised by the 23-year-old’s excellent performances in an Arsenal shirt.
“I would ask about Madueke because, I’ll be honest with you, when Arsenal signed him, I’d seen him play quite a lot at Chelsea,” Gary Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast earlier this month.
“I thought, I can see why Chelsea sort of let him go.
“I tell you – what a different player at Arsenal, and in the England games in the last few weeks.”
In place of the previously injured Bukayo Saka, Madueke dazzled on the right-wing, but Arteta now faces the prospect of being without him.
The former PSV Eindhoven forward was forced off at half-time in Arsenal’s dramatic 1-1 draw with Man City on Sunday, and there are some fears that Madueke may have suffered an ACL injury.
If that were the case, he’d face months on the sidelines, but luckily for Arteta, it appears his problem isn’t as serious as that.
That being said, he’s still set for a lengthy spell out.
Arsenal dealt Noni Madueke blow as David Ornstein shares news
The reliable David Ornstein reports that Madueke avoided an ACL tear, but will be unavailable for around two months with a knee injury, putting his return date during the November international break, meaning he could play against Tottenham on November 23.
While he is yet to get off the mark in terms of goals or assists, Madueke has been without question one of Arteta’s best players of the campaign so far, so this is undoubtedly a blow for Arsenal.
Noni Madueke form at Arsenal prompts Chelsea regret
The winger was Arsenal’s most threatening player in their 1-0 loss to Liverpool prior to the last international break, before he put in a Man of the Match display against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates, whilst also impressing in the first hour of their 5-0 win over Leeds United.
Arsenal’s new £150,000-per-week star is looking like the player who expensive flop Nicolas Pepe was supposed to be, except Madueke didn’t cost a seismic £72 million to bring in.
There are some suggestions that high-ranking Chelsea chiefs held reservations over selling Madueke to Arsenal, and so far, he’s shown exactly why.