Sky Sports’ Paul Merson: “I am flabbergasted by Arsenal signing Noni Madueke. Are there concerns about the future of Saka? Are they getting this deal done and then all of a sudden it allows a potential sale of Saka or someone else.”
In his latest column, Sky Sports’ Paul Merson dissects Arsenal’s transfer business so far, giving his verdict on the potential signing of Noni Madueke from Chelsea…
I am flabbergasted by Arsenal signing Noni Madueke.
I’m shocked. If Arsenal went and bought any player from Chelsea, he’d have been the last one I thought they’d sign.
I just don’t see it. It’s a lot of money for a player who is not a prolific goalscorer. He’s the sort of player that has a good game here and a good game there, but that’ll be it. The consistency of performance isn’t there.
I hope he proves me wrong, but he’ll have the good games, just like he did for England last month. But then you won’t see him for a few weeks.
For me, at Chelsea, I’d have always played Jadon Sancho ahead of him. It’s not to be disrespectful to the player but I am flabbergasted by the money Arsenal are paying for him.
Chelsea just won’t believe that this deal has come to them. They won’t believe their luck.
The only thing for Chelsea is how will Jamie Gittens settle in after his move from Dortmund. How good will he be? But they won’t have too many deliberations about sealing the deal for Madueke to move across London.
What I don’t get is that Madueke’s best position is playing on the right, cutting inside and getting shots away. Who does that for Arsenal?
Bukayo Saka. And he’s not coming out of the Arsenal starting XI.
So, with that in mind, £52m is a lot of money for a back up player, in this day and age.
There’s also Ethan Nwaneri coming through and getting first-team minutes. Everyone tells me how good he is. There’s also a kid called Max Dowman coming through. I know he is a very young player but the stories you hear about him and the clips you see; they are off the chart.
That’s what I don’t get, unless they don’t fancy Nwaneri as a player.
Call me a cynic, but is there another reason why they are doing this deal?
Are there concerns about the future of Saka?
Are they getting this deal done and then all of a sudden it allows a potential sale of Saka or someone else.
The one player at Arsenal who has to play every week is Saka. When he doesn’t play, they are not the same team. The players around him are not the same when he doesn’t play.
If fit, he plays. So why do you spend £52m on a backup for him?
If you asked me whether Arsenal should sign Eberechi Eze or Madueke, I’d have said Eze all day long.
Now that’s a deal I can see happening and it would be a brilliant signing for Arsenal.
He’s perfect.
Arsenal struggle when teams come to the Emirates and put everyone behind the ball. Teams want to limit the space Arsenal have to play in and they have struggled to break teams down with those tactics.
For me, that’s where Eze comes in. He’s got the X-factor and the ability to break a low block down.
Away from home, maybe he’s not the answer. Against the likes of Liverpool and Man City, they may come under the cosh for a bit, and they may have to play slightly differently.
But that’s why you have a big squad. At home, against the lesser teams, where they have 70 to 80 per cent of the ball, let Eze go and do what he wants because he will make something happen.
It would be a fantastic signing for Arsenal.
On the whole, Arsenal have done good business this summer.
Martin Zubimendi is a top buy. Viktor Gyokeres is also a good buy, but we’ll have to see whether his form from Portugal translates to the Premier League.
How many players have ripped it up in Portugal and Holland but then not ripped it up in England? I’m sure people will be screaming examples at me where the form has translated, but he’ll have to prove it.
Remember, he was at Coventry and there wasn’t a queue to sign him then. No-one was willing to take a chance.
He went to Portugal and has done really well, but it isn’t the strongest league in Europe.
Now he’s going for decent money and for me, it’s a case of watch this space.
You can speculate about this signing and that signing, do they need more, and do they need another winger? But Arsenal need to stay injury-free this season.
In the end, Liverpool’s run with the players injury-free was a big part of them winning the title. The big players at Liverpool stayed fit and that made a huge difference.
If Arsenal can do that, they will go really close to winning the Premier League.
For example, at the back, William Saliba and Gabriel come as a pair. When they both play, they are formidable. However, when one is missing, I don’t think the other is the same player.
That’s the problem for Arsenal throughout the squad, and that’s my concern. However, if they stay injury-free they are massive players in the race for the title.
