Arsenal of England summer arrival, Noni Madueke has gained a fresh round of plaudits from the London-based English Premier League club’s coach, Mikel Arteta, who is happy to see the Nigerian-born winger step up when expected.
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Sports247 reports that Arteta is excited with how Madueke has been able to fit in seamlessly and quite effectively for The Gunners’ top player, Bukayo Saka when the fellow-Nigerian-born dazzler is out injured.
Madueke has taken advantage of two spells out injured for Saka this season to make a strong impression in his debut season with the Gunners and in England’s impressive World Cup qualifying campaign.
Madueke’s form and injuries to Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz saw Arteta use Saka in a more central role for The Gunners’ 4-0 FA Cup rout over Wigan, and they can build a seven-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the EPL.
That would be a reality should they defeat bottom-of-the-table Wolves, which would see Arteta’s men move closer to a first league title in 22 years and they are still in contention for an unprecedented quadruple.
Arsenal, who face City in the League Cup final next month, will face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final and play away to Bayer Leverkusen of Germany this Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League last 16.
Arsenal won eight from eight games in the UCL to finish atop the 36-team table with a 100 percent record, which Arteta said is partially due to competitive spirit between Saka and Madueke, as they try to outdo each other in training.
“It is great to witness because it is natural. The way they like each other so much, they are constantly together and there is certain competition for places, but they take it from an incredible side.
“We were in the gym and they were testing and everybody was trying to compete with each other and those two were hilarious as usual. The team and them get the benefit of that,” said Arteta.
