Chelsea winger Noni Madueke is on the verge of sealing a £52 million transfer to Arsenal, with the issues that have hampered his development at Stamford Bridge now coming to light.

Madueke is poised to become the latest player to make the switch from west to north London, as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his wide attacking options ahead of the new season.

The 23-year-old has agreed personal terms and is set to sign a five-year contract with the Gunners in a move that has divided opinion among supporters.

Mixed Fortunes at Chelsea
Despite making 27 Premier League starts last season, Madueke appears to have fallen out of favour under new head coach Enzo Maresca. The England international joined Chelsea from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 for an initial fee of around £28.5 million, but his time in west London has been marked by inconsistency and off-field concerns.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, figures within Chelsea remain unconvinced by Madueke’s progress since his arrival. There have also been reported concerns about his attitude and discipline, with Maresca twice dropping him from matchday squads due to unsatisfactory training performances.

Tensions with Enzo Maresca
Maresca publicly described his decision to exclude Madueke from the squad that travelled to Fulham on Boxing Day as a “technical decision”. The winger had also previously been left out of the side for the away fixture at Aston Villa.

Even after scoring in a 3-1 victory over Wolves in January, Maresca was critical of the player’s overall performance and called for an “immediate” improvement.

“He can improve in the final third, but probably after he scored the goal, he stopped playing,” the Italian manager remarked.
“This is something we must address straight away. You should never be satisfied with one or two goals—you must always aim for more.”

Club World Cup Campaign
During Chelsea’s recent FIFA Club World Cup campaign, Madueke was included in the squad but made only two starts out of six matches. He started the 2-0 win over Los Angeles but played just eight minutes in the 3-1 defeat to Flamengo. He returned to the starting XI against ES Tunis but was limited to substitute appearances in clashes against Palmeiras and Fluminense.

Amid ongoing transfer speculation, Maresca acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Madueke’s future ahead of their semi-final fixture against Fluminense.

“Personally, I think the same noise was there before Palmeiras, yet we gave him half an hour and he performed very well,” Maresca said.
“I’ve no doubt that, if needed, Noni can help us. But I also understand that, as a human being, it’s difficult to deal with so much noise around you. Hopefully, he can handle it.”

Madueke, who has contributed 20 goals and nine assists in 92 senior appearances, is now expected to begin a new chapter at Arsenal as he looks to reignite his career and fulfil the promise that once made him one of Europe’s most exciting young talents.