Delving into Chelsea's strange decision to allow Noni Madueke to join Arsenal

Ever since Clearlake Capital took over Chelsea Football Club from Roman Abramovich, transfer windows have become something of a merry-go-round in West London.

What appears to be a baffling approach to transfers from the powers that be at Stamford Bridge shows no signs of abating either.

Madueke has agreed personal terms with Arsenal

It's understood that Noni Madueke, signed by the club in January 2023 for a fee in the region of £29m and on a seven-and-a-half year deal, has agreed personal terms with London rivals Arsenal.

For all intents and purposes it would appear that the Barnet-born player will soon see the I's dotted and the T's crossed on his contract and his allegiance switched to the red and white part of the capital.

Whether the deal makes sense for the Blues at this stage is a moot point, given that one could argue that a number of incoming and outgoing deals in the past couple of years haven't made a lot of sense.

It's almost as if the company balance sheet is more important than buying players that are good enough for the first-team in the first instance.

Not to mention whether they fit into the dynamic rather than having to be shoe-horned into a position to accomodate the board's largesse.

Chelsea have spent almost $2bn on transfers since Clearlake takeover

Nearly $2bn spent since the takeover is scarcely believable, particularly when one considers that the Blues haven't really yet made their mark under the new ownership.

Only now, with a Club World Cup final to come and Champions League football to look forward to in 2025/26, are the West London outfit beginning to claw themselves back towards the top table of the game - though they're still not there yet.

Buying and selling players at the rate they have been might be seen as good business practice from a financial point of view, but the optics don't look great and the team continues to be the entity which suffers.

Gone are the days when Abramovich was just looking at club ownership as a bit of fun.

"It's not about making money," he said to the BBC back in 2003. "I have many much less risky ways of making money than this. I don't want to throw my money away, but it's really about having fun, and that means success and trophies."

Madueke was one of Chelsea's most-used players in 2024/25

Madueke is clearly the next player that it's been decided is surplus to requirements, though it's a risky strategy selling to one of your London rivals.

Let's not forget that the 23-year-old England international was one of the Blues' most-used players in 2024/25. 

It's also worth dwelling on the fact that during his time at the club, his 86 appearances have seen him score 17 goals and assist for eight more. Only Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer have managed more goal contributions in the same time frame.

Could Madueke be a bit more explosive on the wing? Undoubtedly. Though one has to remember his age and that he's still effectively learning his trade. He's years from his supposed peak too, so the Blues might be offloading him a bit too early.

As transfers go, it's a smart buy from Arsenal as they're getting themselves a young but experienced player who still has a lot to learn but also has a lot to give.

Improvement needed in various aspects

His 56.6% shooting accuracy output is in the top four for the entire Chelsea squad, though his 10.6% showing for shot conversion could certainly do with some improvement. 137 total shots is again only bettered by Palmer and Jackson.

Another area that will have to be improved upon is with regards to Madueke's passing. Although his completion stats are at an acceptable 84.9%, the 1442 passes he attempted in 24/25 pales into insignificance when sat alongside Enzo Fernandez's 5482 and Moises Caicedo's 4603.

Noni Madueke Premier League Stats 2024/25Flashscore

Whilst it's accepted that they play in positions which require more touches of the football, Arsenal require all of their players to take responsability at all times and get on the ball, passing it quickly and accurately to render the opposition useless in trying to defend.

The Gunners are adept at keeping the ball for long periods and using it wisely, and that's likely to be one of the first lessons that Mikel Arteta rams home.

With 180 ball recoveries in the time he's been at the Blues, one could reasonably conclude that Madueke is taking his defensive work seriously, which is good news for Arsenal, but just 56 tackles made in the same period certainly doesn't speak of a player that likes getting his hands dirty though - something that will have to change in the future.

Madueke's versatility can see him play on either wing

From Arsenal's point of view, it's difficult to see the youngster taking the place of Bukayo Saka, though there might be some availability on the opposite flank to start. Should Saka get injured again, then Madueke is an obvious replacement.

He'll certainly give the Gunners another focal point in attack too and if he can polish the rough edges, keep things simple instead of over-complicating when in decent scoring or crossing positions, as well as adding some more goal contributions, then Chelsea might well be rueing making another decision that appears to be based on a financial model rather than a football one. 

Jason PettigroveFlashscore