Noni Madueke sends message to Arsenal fans after toxic reaction to transfer

Arsenal have announced the signing of Noni Madueke after striking a deal worth up to £52million for the Chelsea winger.

Madueke, 23, has put pen to paper on a five-year deal, tying him to the north London outfit until 2030.

The England international becomes Arsenal’s fourth signing of the summer transfer window, following Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga through the doors at the Emirates.

The Gunners are also understood to be working on deals for Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera and Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres behind the scenes, while personal terms have reportedly been agreed with Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze.

Madueke joins a select group of 18 senior players to have crossed the divide and left Chelsea for bitter rivals Arsenal. Petr Cech, Kai Havertz, Jorginho and, of course, Kepa are just some of the names to have made the controversial move from west to north London in recent memory.

Considering Madueke hardly set the Premier League alight last season, managing a total of only seven goals in the English top flight, it’s fair to say the signing has divided Arsenal’s fanbase.

The hashtag #NoToMadueke began trending on X when it first emerged that Arsenal had reached an agreement for the attacker, while a petition – signed by thousands – demanded that the club drop their interest with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, a mural outside the Emirates was defaced with the words, ‘Arteta out’. Another that had been vandalised simply called Arsenal’s head coach a ‘c***’.

Given the hostile reaction from some supporters, Madueke would be forgiven for having some lingering doubts surrounding the move.

But speaking to Arsenal’s official website for the first time, the former PSV Eindhoven man insisted he was looking forward to the challenge and was delighted to part of the Gunners ‘family’.

‘Very happy, very excited to get to work,’ the new No.20 said. ”It’s great to be back home [north London], be with my mum, my dad.

‘I’ve spoken to Declan [Rice], Myles [Lewis-Skelly], Bukayo [Saka], even Jurrien [Timber] as well and they all say amazing things about the club and the culture here and how warm it is and how much of a family it is.

‘I’m really happy to be a part of the Arsenal family now.’

Asked what his ambitions were, Madueke replied: ‘Just to win, to win all the competitions we’re in. I feel like we’re definitely capable of doing that.

‘And just to help the team in every way I can and grow as a player, but also as a person.

‘Arsenal fans, I can’t wait to see you at the Emirates. I’m so, so happy to be here. It’s going to be a great success.’

Arsenal have confirmed that due to Madueke’s participation in the Club World Cup with Chelsea, he will not take part in the Gunners’ pre-season of Asia but will link up with his new teammates in eary August.

Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand was one of many to condemn those who had ‘vilified’ and ‘bullied’ Madueke ahead of the switch, branding the reaction an ‘utter disgrace’.

‘For a young 23 year old English footballer to be vilified, bullied, embarrassed and totally strip down at a time when you’re meant to be celebrating a transfer worth £55 million,’ the legendary ex-England defender told his followers on social media.

‘Yes a young kid with a dream about to secure a £55million dream move to a club of his desire leaving a rival at that to be treated in this manner via section of the Arsenal fanbase is an utter disgrace.

‘Just put yourself in his shoes for one minute, just put yourself in his parents’ shoes for one minute and just think of how that feeling must be.

‘I’ll say it again, at a time as a player, as a human, as a family, you should be celebrating.

‘I just hope the people that are closest to him are around him and supporting him in the way that he needs right now.

‘It’s fine for fans to disagree with signings or decisions made at their football club but the way some fans have publicly voiced their opinions and those who have gone a step further in publicly joining a petition for this player not to be signed by their football club is beyond me.

‘I have never seen anything like this before, and I hope I don’t ever again.

‘Like I said earlier, just imagine if this was your best friend, one of your family members, your brother, son… then tell me how would you feel if they were on the receiving end of this vulgar behaviour???

‘By the way, this isn’t aimed at all Arsenal fans, it’s just a small section who have become very loud unfortunately.’

Ferdinand sent his best wishes to Madueke and challenged the forward to prove his doubters wrong.

‘I just hope Noni Madueke rams all of this negativity back down the throats of these imposters.

‘Whatever happens from here, good luck Noni.’