His time at Chelsea lasted just 18 months, following a £28.5 million move from PSV Eindhoven in early 2023. ..Continue Reading
Madueke began the new campaign in explosive fashion under Enzo Maresca, scoring a hat-trick against Wolves in August, but by December, he had fallen out of the starting lineup.
Maresca publicly challenged the winger, urging him to increase his work rate to reclaim his spot. With Chelsea strengthening their attack by signing Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, Madueke chose to join Arsenal in a deal reportedly worth £48.5 million.
The transfer was met with resistance from some Arsenal fans, with a group even launching a petition to block the move — a gesture that was strongly criticized by midfielder Declan Rice.
Madueke made his debut for the Gunners in a friendly against Villarreal, impressing after coming on for Gabriel Martinelli on the left flank.
Following the match, the England international shared a message of appreciation to Arsenal supporters, thanking them for the warm welcome.
Madueke wrote on Instagram: “Thank you Arsenal fans for the warm welcome yesterday. PLaying at the Emirates for the first time as an Arsenal player felt so special.”
It wasn’t Madueke’s post that caught the attention of Chelsea supporters, it was a comment from one of their current academy players.
U15 star Heze Grimwade was spotted writing “Looked better in blue” with the two eyes emoji.
One fan said: “Proper Chels.”
Another added: “Tbh blue is the color, so hes just speaking facts.”
A third said: “There are eye emojis and heart emojis….. It’s clearly friendly banter.”
Grimwade has made appearances for Chelsea’s U18 team and is well regarded in the Cobham academy.
Arsenal boss Arteta was quick to make his feelings clear on Madueke’s debut, highlighting the winger’s versatility ahead of the Premier League campaign.
He said: “”l think Noni, when you ask him, he’s very comfortable playing right and left so if we want to have inverted footed players, we can do that.
“He’s a real threat, I wouldn’t want to play against him and we want to find something else and playing with natural-footed players, he’s going to give us that solution.
“Today you’ve already seen a couple of balls that he put in the box, the pace and the quality he can deliver. So, great option.”
