‘Arsenal gain Noni Madueke benefit from Premier League after Chelsea missed out’
Arsenal have been given a boost by the Premier League which Chelsea did not benefit from after Noni Madueke’s move across the capital.
Madueke recently made the move to Arsenal for an initial £48.5million [BBC] from Chelsea, in a transfer that raised eyebrows across the country due to the two clubs’ rivalry and his status as one of the Blues’ main men last season.
Former scout Mick Brown told Football Insider back in April that Chelsea were set to accept offers for Madueke ahead of the new season amid interest from Arsenal, and he then revealed to Football Insider that the Gunners were set to step up their efforts to sign Madueke with a formal offer for his services.
The England international, who registered 11 goals and five assists in 46 appearances in 2024/25, officially joined the Gunners on 18 July, but Madueke has not yet linked up with his new teammates after being granted extra time off due to playing in the Club World Cup for Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta has praised him as “one of the most talented wide forward players in the Premier League,” [Arsenal], and the North London outfit are set to benefit from his capture in more ways than one in the coming season.
Madueke now ‘homegrown’ after Premier League reclassification
The Athletic (24 July) have reported that Madueke has been “reclassified as a homegrown player” by the Premier League following his Arsenal switch, despite being listed as a non-homegrown player by Chelsea as recently as February.
The Premier League’s rulebook states that, to qualify for being homegrown, a player must have been registered to either the Football Association or the Welsh FA or for three entire seasons before the end of the campaign in which they turn 21-years-old.
Madueke spent four years in Tottenham’s youth set-up before joining Dutch side PSV at 16-years-old in 2018, which is where he broke into senior football before he moved back to England to join Chelsea in January 2023, just two months before his 21st birthday.
It is believed that his obvious lack of first-team appearances for Spurs is why the trouble registering him as homegrown first arose, but the Premier League has now confirmed that he spent the required three seasons in Tottenham’s academy to qualify for such status and they have updated his internally after a request was made to do so before the end of the 2024/25 season,
The Gunners are now set to benefit from something that was seemingly out of their control, as he will not need to be counted as one of the 17 non-homegrown players that they are able to name in their 25-man Premier League squad, and so they could use his spot on another new signing from overseas if needs be.
Arteta to give Madueke a chance on the left-wing
Football Insider verdict
Madueke is surely set to be behind England teammate Bukayo Saka in the pecking order for minutes on the right-wing at the Emirates, yet he needs ample game-time in the upcoming season to remain in Thomas Tuchel’s plans for the 2026 World Cup.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 92 | 20 | 9 |
It seems a lot more likely that the 23-year-old is tried out on the left-wing, despite the opposite flank being his preferred position, with neither Gabriel Martinelli nor Leandro Trossard particularly impressing last season.
Former scout Brown recently revealed to Football Insider that Arsenal are planning to accept offers of £70million and above for Martinelli this summer amid interest from the Saudi Pro League, while Italian and Turkish clubs have registered their interest in Trossard, so it looks as if a gap is set to open up for Madueke to pounce.
Despite widespread resistance to Madueke’s arrival from Arsenal supporters online, there is no doubting that he is a top Premier League winger when in form, and with Arteta backing him to succeed, he could well prove to be a great signing for the Gunners in their quest for silverware.