Arsenal hero Anders Limpar is adamant Noni Madueke can succeed at his new club and has hit out at the backlash that has greeted his impending transfer from Chelsea.
The England international left the Blues’ before the end of their victorious Club World Cup campaign to undergo a medical ahead of £50million move.
Madueke is expected to provide competition on the left wing for Gabriel Martinelli and offer cover for Bukayo Saka on the opposite flank.
Despite his obvious potential, Premier League pedigree and international experience, the 23-year-old’s switch across London has been met with consternation by the majority of Arsenal fans.
Limpar, an flamboyant, show stopping wideman in his Arsenal pomp, believes much of the criticism has been over the top and stems from Madueke’s Chelsea connections.
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The likes of Willian, David Luiz and Jorginho in recent years with mixed results, but Limpar insists Madueke should not be tarnished by association.
‘It’s never fun when a club signs a player and the fans are not happy with it. I think Noni Madueke is a good player,’ Limpar told fotbolldirekt.se.
Are Arsenal’s new signings enough to win the league?
You certainly can’t accuse Arsenal of being inactive in the window this summer, but whether the new signings and potential new recruits will be enough to power the Gunners to the title remains to be seen.
The naysayers will point to Liverpool’s already impressive summer, which has seen Arne Slot add two top class full-backs and smash the British transfer record to snare Florian Wirtz.
Building from a position of strength, the best are getting even better, even without the arrival of a new centre forward, an issue that looks likely to be addressed imminently.
Arsenal, however, can only look after themselves and while it might have been tempting to enter the race to sign Alexander Isak, plugging the gaping holes in their squad, exposed by last season’s injury crisis, represents a far smarter use of the considerable funds that have again been made available to Mikel Arteta.
Of the new additions, Martin Zubimendi’s is perhaps the most intriguing. Will the addition of a genuine deep-lying playmaker, one in the prime of his career, prompt a more expansive style of play?
If the Spaniard’s addition shifts Arsenal back towards a side somewhere between the buccaneering nearly-men of two years ago and the overcautious, safety first unit that lost their way last term then there is no reason to suggest they cannot last the distance.
The rest of the signings represent gambles, while even Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo, although level raisers, would come with no guarantees given it is not clear where the Crystal Palace playmaker would fit in, while there have been plenty of Real Madrid cast offs who have failed to shine in the Premier League.
That said, this is a top class Arsenal side whose consistency over the last three years is often overlooked as a consequence of their lack of silverware. The new signings may only need to contribute the extra 10% required to get the Gunners over the line given the quality that Arteta already has at his disposal.
If you’re looking for a positive omen, cast your minds back to the summer of 2001 when Arsenal brought in Richard Wright, Francis Jeffers, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Sol Campbell at significant cost, while Edu was effectively a new signing given he hardly played following his arrival in January.
Of that group, only Campbell could have been considered a genuine game changer, but that group all made valuable contributions across a campaign which saw Arsenal end a run of three second place finishes to complete a Premier League and FA Cup double under Arsene Wenger.
James Goldman | Metro Sports Editor.
‘I think he can fit in Arsenal’s system. It’s just unfortunate to hear that some fans are against him and making his life difficult in a way.”
‘I don’t know the background about all the fuss from the fans. It can’t just be that he’s from Chelsea and going to Arsenal. I’m pretty sure of that. “It’s sad when fans are making a player’s life difficult.’
He added: ‘If you look at the big clubs: Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City and so on. They want a mega-squad. They want a squad where they can put on 22 players and everybody can play. That’s modern football.”
‘To hear about £50 million here, £60 million there, £70 million here, for some players who can’t even play, in my opinion. It’s ridiculous money. But that’s the way it is, in 2025.
‘You always have to have backup for your big stars. It is up to Madueke if he can handle the pressure. He’s used to playing and he has to compete for a starting spot with Saka, who is one of the best players in the world. That’s not easy. Madueke has to be patient and take the chances he gets.”
‘Playing on the left side, we have Martinelli there, we have Trossard there, even Reiss Nelson. It’s hard for a player to come to a big club with big stars but when pre-season starts, you have to prove yourself to be a starter.
‘It’s always been like that. It’s not set that he’ll be on the bench. He can work his way up to becoming a starter.’
Kai Havertz, has arguably, been the biggest hit of the players who have been signed by Arsenal from Chelsea by Mikel Arteta and he too got off to a rocky start before cementing his status as something of a cult hero.
Limpard said: ‘Arsenal fans weren’t good to Havertz when he wasn’t at his best for the first couple of months and now they adore him. I always think you have to give the players a chance and play in front of the fans and see how good he can be.’
‘I always think that fans have to be a little more patient when a player arrives and see how it goes.’