In theory, Noni Madueke played best on the right wing, where Bukayo Saka has become an indispensable part of Mikel Arteta's squad. The England international is Arsenal's best and most important player.
The chance for Madueke to replace Saka seems very slim. However, what he can do is provide a high-quality backup plan, sharing the workload with his England teammates. This could help Saka reduce the risk of injury like last season.
But Arsenal certainly won't spend £52m to buy a substitute for Saka. Especially since they have promising Ethan Nwaneri, whose development needs to be given top priority.
According to British media, Leandro Trossard could be sold by the "Gunners" this summer. Therefore, Madueke is also expected to become an option on the left wing.
It is understandable that Arsenal fans are disappointed by this prospect, given their previous link to bigger targets like Rodrygo of Real Madrid.
On the surface, Madueke's appearance on the left wing for Chelsea in the last weeks of last season did not seem to bring much encouragement. Madueke has not scored any goals or assisted when starting on the left wing. However, he has had some commendable performances.
He had a particularly impressive performance in the 1-0 win over Everton in April this year, when Madueke forced goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to keep saving. A week later, in the 3-1 win over Liverpool, he also showed the same danger. Even coach Arne Slot described the problems Madueke caused to Liverpool's defense as " something he had never seen before".
Madueke was then used by England manager Thomas Tuchel as a left winger. He was one of the few players who impressed in the narrow win over Andorra in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers last month.
The England international has been almost used as a right winger at his former club PSV Eindhoven. Less than 10% of his Premier League minutes have been on the left wing for Chelsea.
Madueke will need to prove his ability to play on the left wing against Arsenal. Some people will say that he also needs to show something about his speed and personality.
Coach Enzo Maresca once highly appreciated Madueke, who started him more than any other Chelsea winger last season. However, the Italian captain also questioned the consistency in using him.
"Noni Madueke can do more than that. He has to understand that he needs to work hard every day," Maresca said in December last year, before leaving him out against Fulham.
Maresca's comments, along with an unnecessary controversy with teammate Nicolas Jackson over the penalty in the match against Everton last year, have contributed to the negativity about Madueke.
With Arteta, he hopes to turn Madueke into the player Arsenal need, whether on the right or left wing.
But it is undeniable that this is a risky move at £52 million. In some aspects, fans' doubts are understandable. Madueke is not a significant addition on both wings for Arsenal. However, at the age of 23, he still has interesting potential to exploit.
