‘It might be a little bit hostile’ – Noni Madueke on going back to Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

Noni Madueke has admitted the atmosphere may be hostile when he goes back to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea with Arsenal this weekend.

The game is a battle between first and second in the Premier League, as well as a huge London derby, and the Madueke aspect – with him having made the switch from Chelsea to Arsenal in the summer – just adds another layer.

Asked how it will feel going back to his old club, the Englishman said: “It might be a little bit hostile, it might not be, but I am a professional footballer. I have played in loads of atmospheres. I don’t know if anything will faze me. I will just be focused on the task.”

Madueke has had a tough start to life at Arsenal, picking up a knee injury in September that saw him miss two months of action.

He returned off the bench against Tottenham at the weekend, but had a larger part to play against Bayern Munich after Leandro Trossard had to come off with an injury in the 38th minute. He managed to notch his first goal for the club in the 3-1 win.

On his start to life with the Gunners, Madueke said: “It was horrible, the timing of the injury. It was horrible timing, but it is what it is. You face adversity as a footballer and it is about how you get back. Today was great for me, personally, and great for the team. I am really happy.”

There was a lot of furore amongst fans after the signing, given he came from Chelsea, and many were against the addition. On how tough that was to deal with, he said: “To be honest, I just kind of take that stuff in my stride. It is normal, you are in the public eye, people can say whatever they want about you.

“But being in the stadium, and how the fans have taken to me in stadium, is unbelievable. I am not really worried about all of that. It is in the distant past… I play on the side of the pitch, I can feel them (the fans), I can hear them. When they are that positive about me it gives me a massive boost. Honestly, I am made up about it.”