Noni Madueke joined Chelsea from PSV Eindhoven for £29 million. Now, he’s in the hot seat as speculation abounds over an impending transfer to Arsenal. The 21-year-old began last season in devastating form, scoring a hat-trick against Wolves as Manchester City thrashed them 6-2 at Molineux. Even with this wonderful introduction, all wasn’t well as far as Madueke’s contributions in the Premier League were concerned.
That didn’t happen last season, when Madueke netted just seven goals and registered three assists across 32 league appearances. His statistics have left many fans and analysts doubting his effectiveness on the pitch. At the same time, Arsenal supporters are expressing hesitation on the move. A recent Sky Sports poll indicates that approximately 70% of 35,000 respondents believe Madueke would be a poor signing for the Gunners. Yet, a deeper analysis of his playing style and contributions suggests that the criticisms may not tell the full story.
Strong Start but Mixed Results
Noni Madueke made a name for himself last year with an impressive performance in last years fixture against Wolves where he scored a hat trick. This encouraging debut reinforced his long-term potential and versatility, making Wizards fans hope for more strong, consistent efforts to come as the season progressed. As the months progressed, his goal tally of seven and three assists in 32 appearances raised concerns about his overall impact.
Regardless, Madueke was one of the best players in his class in a number of important attacking metrics. He ranked in the top 10 for shots per 90 minutes. On top of this, he ranked fifth for touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes. In response, he generated plenty of chances on the pitch. This was evident as he placed in the Premier League’s top 15 players for non-penalty xG + xA per 90.
That’s because Madueke’s shots created a staggering 9.66 expected goals last year alone. This is evidenced by this killer stat that he had the second most chances created, but failed to finish. This performance justifies that in terms of goals and assists being very low, but that’s not the end of the story. Don’t let his overall numbers fool you — Pache has the ability to be a game-changing player.
Playing Style and Positioning
Looking to evaluate Madueke’s use in XI’s past, we find that to most frequently set up shop on the right-hand side. This was particularly the case in his time at PSV Eindhoven. It was this positioning that gave him room to play to his strengths so beautifully. At Chelsea, though, fewer than 10 percent of his Premier League minutes came out on the left flank. Over half of his shots and chances created came from the right flank. This indicates an underutilization, one that points to a mismatch between the position Enzo desires to play and how Chelsea has deployed him since arriving at Cobham.
Madueke further shone in other advanced attacking metrics that speak to his ability to impact games. He ranked first among all Premier League players in shot-ending carries per 90 minutes at a staggering 1.63. He only averaged 1.98 successful dribbles per 90 minutes last season. This astonishing figure underscores his talent to twist and turn through opposition defenses and create goal-scoring chances.
Without context, these statistics paint the picture of a player misplaced. If given the appropriate tactical backing he can transform his flashes into steady production. Arsenal have been keeping tabs on a possible move for Madueke. Most intriguing, should they land him, would be to see how exactly they’d utilize him within their attacking structure.
Mixed Reception from Fans and Analysts
As speculation surrounding a potential Madueke transfer to Arsenal grows, Gooners are unsure of whether this is a smart move or not. As per the Sky Sports poll mentioned above, that’s a whopping 85% skepticism about his fit within the team. That has left plenty of fans questioning whether his hit-or-miss scoring resume would be a good fit on a team with title aspirations as lofty as Arsenal.
To the surprise of no one who’s ever seen Madueke work his magic, those who know him best haven’t stopped raving about his skills. One of the highly regarded coaches of the England youth teams waxed poetically about him, calling him a “lovely lad.” This speaks to his depth of talent, but more importantly, it exhibits character qualities that would enhance any locker room.
Things are stirring today that Madueke might just be the seventh in six years to make the switch from Stamford Bridge to Emirates Stadium. Both clubs must be concerned with risk vs reward for this potential transfer at this point. Even accounting for the tough adjustment he went through last year, Arsenal seems hell bent on continuing to go after this guy. His underlying numbers show that he provides a whole lot more than his current goal output would suggest.
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