Noni Madueke scored a hat-trick in Chelsea's 6-2 win over Wolves in the second round of the Premier League at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England, 25/8/2024. Photo: AP

Last season, Arsenal's over-reliance on Saka became glaringly apparent. When the English winger suffered a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace in 12/2024, sidelining him for three months, the Emirates Stadium lacked a suitable replacement on the right wing. This contributed to their inability to keep pace with Liverpool and their early exit from the Premier League title race.

Therefore, Madueke's signing initially appeared to address the need for a backup winger for Saka. During his time at Chelsea last season, Madueke played 84% of his total minutes on the right wing.

However, having started 27 of 38 Premier League matches last season, and with a transfer fee nearing 70 million USD, it's unlikely he will be content with a bench role at the Emirates.

With Saka's place on the right wing secure, Madueke is likely to be deployed on the left, where Arsenal are seeking an upgrade, or at least competition, for Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian forward had a lackluster previous season, managing only 10 goals and six assists in 51 appearances across all competitions.

During his two years at Chelsea, Madueke played a total of 398 minutes on the left wing, across both domestic and European competitions. Players preferred in this position included Mykhailo Mudryk (16 Premier League starts), Jadon Sancho (16), Raheem Sterling (12), Pedro Neto (9), and Christopher Nkunku (5), none of whom truly shone.

Madueke gradually earned the trust of manager Enzo Maresca, with 334 of his 398 minutes on the left wing coming in the final month of the 2024-2025 season. This included challenging fixtures: 72 minutes against Liverpool, 81 minutes against Man Utd, and 45 minutes against Newcastle. His two starts in the FIFA Club World Cup were also on the left.

Location of Noni Madueke's 80 shots in the Premier League last season (7 headers, 48 left foot, 25 right foot, and 7 goals).

Statistics suggest Madueke could be a viable option on the left wing for Arsenal while also serving as a backup for Saka on the right.

Madueke is among the Premier League's most two-footed players in terms of finishing. Among players with at least 30 shots, excluding headers, few approach a 50/50 split between left and right foot like Madueke. Most with a better balance than him are naturally right-footed. Right-footed players generally exhibit better two-footed finishing than left-footed players.

Among those who shoot more with their left foot than their right, only Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo (53.8% left foot, 46.2% right foot) comes closer than Madueke (65.8% left, 34.2% right) to a perfect balance. This indicates Madueke's potential to excel on both wings, even though his preference is cutting inside from the right onto his stronger left foot.

In the Premier League last season, Madueke averaged 3.5 shots per 90 minutes. Among players with at least 1,500 minutes, only four exceeded this figure.

In terms of non-penalty xG, he ranked third among non-strikers (0.42 per 90 minutes), trailing only Luis Diaz (Liverpool) and Brennan Johnson (Tottenham). Among players with at least 25 starts, only Mohamed Salah (10.5) averaged more touches in the opposition box than Madueke (8.8).

His average shots decreased from 3.7 per 90 minutes on the right wing to 2.4 on the left, but his xG remained constant at 0.42. Despite being left-footed and tending to drift wide, he still averaged 7.8 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes on the left wing.

Madueke led the league in progressive carries (moving the ball at least 5 meters towards the opponent's goal), averaging 6.1 per 90 minutes. He also topped the league in carries ending in a shot, with 1.6 per 90 minutes.

Noni Madueke's carries creating chances in the Premier League last season.

Beyond dribbling, Madueke excels at off-the-ball movement, penetrating behind defenses – a trait more akin to Martinelli than Saka.

Last season, Madueke averaged 7.7 off-the-ball runs into the penalty area per 90 minutes. Only five players with at least 1,500 minutes surpassed this, and only one, Luis Diaz (8.6), was not a striker.

The effectiveness of these runs is evident: of his 544 off-the-ball movements while teammates had possession, 78 (14.3%) resulted in a shot for Chelsea.

Only two players achieved a higher percentage (with a minimum of 200 runs), both from champions Liverpool: Mohamed Salah (15.8%) and Alexis Mac Allister (14.5%).

"Overall, Madueke is a high-quality winger who has proven himself in the Premier League," Opta commented. "At 23, he is entering his prime and has ample room for growth. Provided he adapts to playing more frequently on the left while remaining ready to deputize for Saka on the right, Madueke could prove a valuable asset for Arsenal."

Hong Duy (according to Opta)