Noni Madueke may not be guaranteed a starting berth at Arsenal, but a match-winning cameo against Nottingham Forest on Sunday underlined exactly why manager Mikel Arteta prizes him so highly among the squad's designated "finishers."
Introduced at half-time with Arsenal locked in a tight contest at the City Ground, Madueke carried Arteta's instructions directly onto the pitch. "Hang in there, stick to the game plan, go out there and try to attack the opposition, be dangerous, be yourself and be good defensively as well," Madueke recalled being told.
The 24-year-old delivered precisely that. In the 80th minute, he cut inside onto his weaker right foot and fired a deflected shot into the net to hand Arsenal a crucial three points in their Premier League title defence. "I'd beaten him on the outside a couple of times so I thought I'll come inside and just let rip," Madueke said.
From the bench to the spotlight
Madueke has managed only one top-flight start this season — a 2-1 victory over Leeds — largely because Christos Tzolis, signed in the summer to replace the outgoing Leandro Trossard, had established himself as Arteta's first-choice left winger. With Tzolis now sidelined by a hamstring injury sustained on international duty with Greece, an opening has emerged for Madueke to press his claim for a more prominent role.
He has made the most of it. Arteta praised him as the best player at the club during the international break, saying he "grabbed it with both hands" when handed the start against Leeds. Madueke then assisted the opening goal in Arsenal's Champions League win over Lille on Tuesday before delivering Sunday's decisive contribution.
Arteta was effusive when asked about Madueke's character off the pitch as well as on it. "Noni, look at me, a smile on my face because he is a special character," the Arsenal boss said. "It's someone that's very much loved in and around the dressing room. The way he connects, talks with people — he is just a special guy."
The manager revealed a telling detail: when a group of Arsenal players were asked who they would call if they had a problem, several named Madueke. "I think it is a massive credit and describes the type of person he is," Arteta added.
Consistency was the missing piece
Madueke's journey at Arsenal has not been entirely smooth. A "No to Madueke" petition circulated when he joined from Chelsea rivals, and his displays have drawn criticism for their inconsistency. But the £48.5m signing has also been part of Arsenal's recent highs — helping the club claim their first league title in 22 years and reach the Champions League final. He contributed eight goals and four assists across 43 appearances in all competitions last season.
England manager Thomas Tuchel and his staff reportedly rate Madueke among the best players in one-versus-one situations, and the winger has now strung together three strong performances in succession. "He is in a good moment," Arteta said. "After the break, he is showing something else — another level of anger, another level of conviction as well as in his actions, and he is becoming decisive in matches, which is what we expect from a player like him."
Arsenal's finishers keep delivering
Arteta's deliberate reframing of substitutes as "finishers" appears to be paying dividends. Since the start of last season, Arsenal substitutes have contributed to 26 Premier League goals — more than any other side in the division. Bruno Guimaraes scored the winner from the bench in the previous league outing against Leeds, while Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and captain Martin Odegaard were all influential as substitutes in the win over Lille.
Arteta dismissed concerns that Arsenal are becoming too reliant on impact from the bench. "We have played 11 competitive matches and we won 10," he said. "We are getting a variety of ways to win in many different contexts." He had anticipated a low-chance affair against an organised Nottingham Forest side but trusted that the game would eventually open up — and that his finishers would take their moment when it did.
