Noni Madueke’s reaction to sub in Arsenal match saw him branded ‘disrespectful’
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta faces a balancing act with Noni Madueke, one of several wide forwards capable of making significant contributions for the Gunners this season
Arsenal snatched a late point against Manchester City on Sunday, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Questions were asked after Mikel Arteta withdrew Noni Madueke at half-time, and an ability to get the best out of the winger could be a big factor for the Gunners.
Some fans were upset to see Madueke’s number go up at the start of the second half when Arteta introduced Bukayo Saka in a double change. The boss was asked about the decision post-match, indicating there might have been more to it than meets the eye.
“No, I think he had an issue very early in the match and he wasn’t well enough to continue,” Arteta said. He also pushed back against suggestions the initial starting XI was too conservative, telling an interviewer: “I leave that to you, but for me it’s a lot of attacking players in that team, yes.”
Madueke’s status at Arsenal is rather different to how things happened at Chelsea. As a big-money signing, the £48million man clearly has a level of backing from Mikel Arteta, but he had to establish himself under multiple managers at his previous club.
The England international came in for criticism for some of his behaviour during that spell in West London – including in a match against his current employers in November 2024. On that occasion, he was withdrawn in favour of Mykhailo Mudryk midway through the second half and reacted by heading straight down the tunnel.
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Madueke insisted he simply took a trip to the toilet before taking a seat on the bench, rather than going off in a huff as some cynics interpreted the behaviour. “It’s disrespectful to your team-mates. I think the manager protecting him is mad, that’s a two-week fine,” pundit Rio Ferdinand had written on social media before the wide man cleared things up.
Former Chelsea coach Jody Morris responded similarly to Ferdinand, telling takSPORT: “I’d be fuming and I think we’ve got a manager that would address that instantly which I think the best ones do. It’s not just disrespectful to your team-mates but to the fans as well.”
Morris admitted there might have been mitigating circumstances, though, and so it proved. “I literally went down the tunnel to go to the toilet and I came back 30 seconds later,” Madueke said. “If you watch a lot of games when I come off, I always going straight down the tunnel to go to the toilet. It is nothing major at all.”
It wasn’t the first time the winger had attracted attention for the wrong reasons, even if there was a seemingly innocent explanation this time. During Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure as Chelsea manager, Madueke attempted to take a penalty from Cole Palmer in a heavy win over Everton – much to the dismay of commentator Alan Smith.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” former Arsenal striker Smith said. “In this kind of situation, with this scoreline. Grow up! I don’t blame Cole Palmer for not wanting to give that one up. He’s the designated taker and he’s the best one at it.”
Moments like the penalty controversy have left Madueke with a questionable reputation among some outsiders, but fans have been quick to come to his defence. Indeed, even last week, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown’s direct question to the player wasn’t brilliantly received.
“Noni, have you taken your game to another level? Because you look more collective,” Keown asked Madueke after Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest. “I was worried about you when you came. Because I thought sometimes you can be a little bit selfish, but now, you seem to have got really good balance to your play. The decisions you’re making have been outstanding.”
While some fans took aim at Keown, Madueke himself answered calmly. “It’s easy to play with these guys. I’m having a great time. Maybe I have taken a step in that direction,” he said.
This season will be a balancing act for Mikel Arteta. Madueke is one of a number of options out wide, with Saka now back from injury, Gabriel Martinelli scoring a vital equaliser on Sunday and Leandro Trossard making an impact from the bench in the Champions League win in Bilbao.
Last season, Arteta’s task was arguably a simpler one with injuries forcing his hand during the run-in – though that brought problems of its own. This time around, and with the hope Madueke’s injury scare is nothing too serious, it will be an issue of keeping everybody happy.
It could well be to Arsenal’s benefit that Madueke has experience of dealing with that kind of competition, and he arguably dealt with it better than some of his Chelsea team-mates last season as he showed an ability to come in and deliver. It’s certainly a dynamic we’ll want to keep an eye on this season – and Sunday might well not be the first time Arteta gets asked about why Madueke made way when he did.
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