Noni Madueke shines as Arsenal ‘s strength in depth shows again
Noni Madueke passing defenders and delivering dangerous crosses into the penalty area will be a welcome sight for Mikel Arteta.
And Madueke’s performance in Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Leeds will be even more well-received given that he was brought into the starting line-up minutes before kick-off after Bukayo Saka suffered a hip injury in the warm-up.
The 23-year-old headed home Martin Zubimendi’s opener and then saw his corner headed home by goalkeeper Karl Darlow as Arteta’s men moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Madueke was signed by Arsenal from Chelsea this summer in a bid to strengthen squad depth and provide cover in the event of injury to key player Saka – a move some fans are questioning.
And in his 60 minutes on the pitch, the England winger showed why the club made this decision.
Arteta said: “He was ready. Because you can’t do that in two minutes. The way he prepared, the way he waited for the opportunity, I think it paid off today because he really impressed the team.”
While Arsenal await a diagnosis on the extent of Saka’s injury, Madueke will be hopeful he has earned a fresh start in Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final second leg against former club Chelsea.
Saka and Madueke are also competing for England as the summer World Cup approaches. So will the latter now have the chance to stake his claim?
“Noni Madueke was really good, especially when you come so late into the game,” former England midfielder Fara Williams told BBC’s Final Score.
“This is an opportunity for him and he performed well. When he joined Arsenal he had the opportunity to get a few games when Saka got injured and then he got injured too.
“He showed what he can do when he plays for England. He will be a headache for both managers Mikel Arteta and Thomas Tuchel in the summer.”
Former Manchester United striker Dion Dublin added to Final Score: “Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke are both international players and they are both doing an incredible job.
“The joke will probably start [for Arsenal and England] because it is the better and more consistent of the two. But it’s a huge headache.”
