One of the biggest priorities for Arsenal this summer is to sign a new centre forward with Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko both touted.
Yet, the Gunners must also bolster their options out wide where Bukayo Saka could do with added assistance on the right wing. Upgrades on Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, the scorers of ten goals apiece last term, could also be upgraded.
Andrea Berta has reportedly been looking at whole host of options with Premier League trio Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers all reportedly on their radar.
However, reports over the last 48 hours have suggested that Noni Madueke is now a very realistic option for Arsenal in the transfer window.
How Arsenal could strengthen out wide
The ever-reliable David Ornstein revealed to his followers on Saturday afternoon that Arsenal have agreed personal terms with Madueke.
Club-to-club talks are yet to take place but the Gunners have clearly not done a lot of work on the player side.
Chelsea are now expecting a bid from the Gunners in the forthcoming days, according to Sky Sports.
Capable of playing on the right or the left, the England international would add solid cover along the Arsenal attack, but truth be told, they can surely do better than this.
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Well, one option is Real Madrid’s Rodrygo. They have flirted with making a move for the Brazilian for most of the window and according to prior reports, positive talks have been held regarding a move.
Reports from Spain a few days ago suggested that Arsenal were prepared to put a whopping £78m on the table to prise the winger away from the Spanish capital and it’s now been revealed that he actually fancies a move.
According to Gunners insider, Hand of Arsenal, intermediaries working with clubs in Saudi Arabia have been told that “in no uncertain terms that Rodrygo’s preference is to move to the Premier League.”
The report goes on to reveal that Arsenal is the Brazil star’s “absolute priority” if a deal can be struck with Madrid.
How Rodrygo compares to Noni Madueke
There are understandable concerns from Arsenal supporters that Madueke would be another dud Chelsea player they’ve signed.
However, he does have immense talent. The winger scored a Premier League hat-trick in 2024/25 and despite the wealth of riches available to Enzo Maresca in attack, the England international still started 27 games in the top-flight.
Yet, he’s not Rodrygo, is he? The Brazil “superstar”, as he’s been dubbed by former teammate Luka Modric, has a history of scoring plenty of goals in Spain and the best campaign of his career came back in 2022/23, when he found the net on 19 occasions.
He may have only scored six times in LaLiga throughout the last campaign but he found the net 14 times across all competitions. He also supplied 11 assists to rubberstamp his threat as a creator too.
Madueke, on the other hand, only scored 11 goals in all competitions and registered just five assists. Already, we can see that Rodrygo produces better output. But, where else does the 24-year-old Madrista thrive?
Goals per game
0.24
0.25
Assists per game
0.11
0.20
Shots *
3.54
2.52
Key passes *
1.42
2.29
Progressive passes *
3.05
5.05
Shot-creating actions *
3.50
4.95
Successful take-ons *
1.99
2.29
Progressive carries
6.81
5.28
Carries
28.4
41.5
Touches
43.4
62.6
Well, in 80% of the metrics analysed, it’s the Madrid sensation who comes out on top. Not only does he produce more goals and assists per game, but he’s just overall a much greater threat in the final third of the pitch.
Madueke does trump him for progressive carries, but that aside, there are some big wins for Arsenal’s £78m target, perhaps most notably in a creative sense, where he registered more progressive passes, shot-creating actions and key passes.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Yes, Arsenal had problems scoring goals last term but with Saka out injured, they also lacked a bit of creativity. After all, no one in the Premier League came close to matching his level of output in that regard.
Saka produced the highest number of expected assists per 90 minutes last term (0.52) in the entire division, more than even Mo Salah, who produced 0.48.
So, with Rodrygo looking a lot more like the complete package when compared to Madueke, he must be Arsenal’s biggest priority once they’ve got a striker over the line.
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