Noni Madueke Arsenal Asia tour squad absence explained after £48.5m transfer from Chelsea

Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal squad have jetted off to Asia for their pre-season tour ahead of a huge 2025/26 campaign. Following a pre-tour camp in La Manga, Spain, Singapore is the Gunners' first stop in Asia with two matches in the schedule.

Facing AC Milan at the National Stadium on Wednesday, July 23, the north London club then play Newcastle United at the same venue four days later. Arsenal then round off their tour with some time in Hong Kong and a North London Derby showdown against Tottenham Hotspur at Kai Tak Sports Park.

The Gunners departed for Singapore on Saturday, with a total of 30 players making the trip to the Far East. New signings Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard have all travelled with their teammates for the tour but the same cannot be said about Noni Madueke, who completed his move from Chelsea on Friday.

The 23-year-old joins Arsenal for an initial fee of £48.5million with a further £3.5million in add-ons. Madueke has signed a five-year contract at the Emirates Stadium.

The reason for Arsenal's new No.20 not joining his teammates in Asia is due to his recent participation at the FIFA Club World Cup for Chelsea. It has been a year like no other for the player with his season, that started 11 months ago, only just drawing to a close due to the newly-formed competition that kicked off in the United States in the middle of June.

Prior to his time in the US with the Blues, Madueke was part of the England squad at the beginning of June for their games against Andorra and Senegal. The ex-PSV man has had barely any time off since the Premier League season drew to a close but he will now get that at a time when Arsenal are in Asia.

Arsenal confirmed on their official website that Madueke will be joining his teammates once the squad have returned from their summer tour. The first chance to see the attacker in action for Arsenal will likely be at the start of August when the Gunners host Villarreal (Wednesday, August 6) and Athletic Club (Saturday, August 9) in their last games before their Premier League opener away at Manchester United the following weekend.

Arteta is certainly looking forward to the opportunity to work with his new player in the years ahead. He told Arsenal's official website: "We're all so happy to welcome Noni Madueke to the team. Noni is an exciting and powerful young player, with his performances and numbers in recent seasons being of consistently high quality. He is one of the most talented wide forward players in the Premier League.

“At just 23, Noni already brings experience of club and international football, and he knows the Premier League very well. Having seen the quality of Noni’s performances up close in recent seasons, we’re really excited he is joining us.

“Noni joins our group with familiar England teammates and other players he knows. He will be made to feel at home straight away. His arrival will really improve our squad - we’re all thrilled to have him here. From all of us, welcome Noni and welcome to your family.”

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