Arsenal have been told by former player Alan Smith that winger Noni Madueke will prove all the doubters wrong after his £52m move from Chelsea.
The England international was signed earlier in July, and the Gunners have seen mixed reviews on his arrival since. Many Arsenal fans caused ‘#NoToMadueke’ to trend on X, and several opposing fans have also blasted the move.
Madueke scored 11 goals, and provided five assists for Chelsea last season, and broke into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. His best position is on the right, so the 23-year-old will likely play as a backup to Bukayo Saka, who also plays on the right.
The signing could be called controversial, but Arsenal have made the decision now, and fans are beginning to come round to the idea, after they spent the £52m on Madueke.
Alan Smith says Madueke will prove doubters wrong
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith is a big fan of Madueke, and he thinks that he will prove to be a great addition for Mikel Arteta this season, saying that the critical fans are wrong to pass judgement on Madueke.
Smith told TribalFootball: “I thought his form was consistent and he’s of an age where he hopefully will only get better under Arteta, who is a very good coach, let’s make no mistake. He can improve players and he normally does.
“He can play both flanks, so that’s a great option to give (Bukayo) Saka a rest at times, to offer an option to (Gabriel) Martinelli, who’s been a bit up and down. You could argue about the price tag (£52m), but I mean, everybody who’s half decent costs a fortune, don’t they?”
Smith continued by urging Arsenal fans to trust the club and trust the experts who decide on which players to sign, especially before Madueke has played a minute. ” I don’t get it.” Smith added, “You’ve got to trust in your club and the experts. You know, these people are looking deeply into the stats, the underlying stats and all the rest of it. They’re not just, you know, picking somebody out of a hat.”
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