Arsenal of England’s Nigerian-born winger, Noni Madueke, is at the centre of tension currently rolling through the London-based club, following interest in his signature by Atletico Madrid of Spain and Juventus of Italy.
Sports247 gathered that speculation is rife among fans of The Gunners that Madueke is likely to leave them behind at Emirates at the of this year, simply because he believes he has not been offered the relevance he thinks he deserves.
Madueke has played only 23 minutes across two substitute appearances this season – against Coventry and Chelsea – as fellow-Nigerian-born winger, Bukayo Saka’s return to fitness has seen his colleague’s only start coming in a Carabao Cup game versus Ipswich.
Nonetheless, despite what Madueke’s camp consider to be genuine cause for the winger to consider leaving in the winter market, insiders insist the England international is still part of their coach, Mikel Arteta’s long-term plans, with lots of potential for the future.
The inkling of Arteta and administrative egg heads at Emirates Stadium is that Madueke will patiently accept his bit-part status in the team and set himself up for lots of relevance with the squad in years to come, hence their unease with reports of his impending exit.
Madueke joined Arsenal from Chelsea in July 2025 for an initial £48.5m, with the deal potentially rising to around £52m through add-ons, but his lack of regular playing time is likely to see him move on in the January transfer window.
A report by Tribal Football added, “His position is different this season, with Saka remaining first choice and the emergence of Max Dowman providing another exciting option in the attacking positions.
“Madueke has accepted that competition for places is intense, but his lack of minutes has also had an impact in costing him his place in the England squad. That could make January an intriguing moment if the situation does not improve.
“However, insiders believe the importance of his role will become more evident in the coming weeks and months and, for now, the expectation is that any approaches to sign him would be resisted.”
