Why Arsenal and Chelsea don't agree on one final Noni Madueke transfer point

The concept of 'winning' a transfer is a strange one. 'Winning' a transfer window is another matter that does not widely translate into success. Just ask West Ham.

Nevertheless, when there is a high-profile move between two nominal rivals, there will be a clamour from both sides to claim to have gotten the better deal. With Noni Madueke, it is only in hindsight that the answer will be found.

If he explodes at Arsenal and delivers on an increasingly good set of underlying metrics, then Chelsea could be made to look silly having agreed to sell him at a price which is broadly in line with what they have paid for Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro. Right now, Madueke offers more in the Premier League than Gittens, which raises questions over the price.

However, if Madueke continues his 2025 form and reduced levels of output, runs into fitness issues that have kept him to under 5,000 league minutes in six seasons since his breakthrough into the senior PSV Eindhoven team as a teenager, or is picked up on his training levels by Mikel Arteta, as both Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca have done at Chelsea, then the fee could be seen as fair.

For now, there is a general feeling online, especially, that Arsenal supporters are not too happy about spending upwards of £50million on a backup right-winger with a decent but not exceptional Premier League record. Chelsea fans, who have watched Madueke's inconsistency for two-and-a-half years, are seen to be much more happy.

Within the Chelsea fanbase, though, there is another divide. Those who are hot on Madueke's numbers - box entries, xG + xA (expected goals and assists), dribbling and take-on - and those who see that he only scored in five league games last season with 32 appearances and 27 starts.

Madueke lost his place on the right to Pedro Neto. Some people will tell you that Neto is ineffective at doing a lot of the things Madueke does whereas others see him as the top performing attacker in a dysfunctional team for most of the past six months.

There is a middle ground to be found. On one hand, Chelsea are almost doubling their money on Madueke and will welcome Estevao Willian into the squad. He looks to be much more ready for Premier League football than was initially thought.

Chelsea will also have Geovany Quenda arriving in 12 months. He is another well-thought-of right-sided winger who the club have big plans for. Madueke, signed in January 2023, is now behind Neto, signed last summer, and throughout this year, their trajectory has been going in opposite directions.

Arsenal have picked up the Englishman, who is younger, and will bank on him improving under Arteta. There is sure logic to that, no matter what is thought of his current ability.

When a deal for Viktor Gyokeres is yet to be completed and there are more fashionable names on the market, Madueke's selection among the options is proving problematic. Why go for the player Chelsea are willing to sell for this sort of money when Real Madrid and Rodrygo are preparing to part ways, or Eberechi Eze is available?

That point is also fair. But despite both teams having arguments for and against doing the deal, there is enough for them to try and say they have gotten the better side of it.

Chelsea, as mentioned, have signed two attackers that they hope will replace Madueke and quickly make him a man of the past. They have flipped him for a tidy profit and already have a contingency plan for the position.

They have gotten a good load of cash from a rival and will receive around £60million for Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga, two players either outside the best XI or simply unwanted. The risk is that if Madueke does well at Arsenal then the money might not end up representing brilliant value.

He is in the Mohammed Kudus, Gittens, and Anthony Elanga bracket but also being sold to a rival. It is a delicate balance to strike and one that will not have a fully clear picture until he has played.

As for Arsenal, they are getting a 23-year-old who has done the bulk of his early development somewhere else. Madueke is no longer the raw and underprepared winger Chelsea bought.

He is an England international with experience in European competitions. Although Madueke has found the left wing much harder to get output from, he is still an option that will push Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard at the Emirates Stadium.

The reservations at Arsenal may well be to do with their other business and what it means for Rodrygo or Eze, two players deemed to be much more important and worth the time this summer. Regardless, Arsenal can still say that they are getting a winger with proven Premier League quality for what is the minimum going rate of forwards.

If he produces under Arteta then they will be sharp to say that they have gotten a player able to kick on and become a genuine star for cheap. Chelsea, meanwhile, have cashed in early with five years left on his contract. Both teams will say they have the better side of this, but like always, it will be the player's performances which define where the line is drawn.

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