Pundits insist Chelsea got it wrong with Arsenal transfer | OneFootball

Former Premier League goalkeeper Tim Howard insists Chelsea never should have let Noni Madueke go, and they have to admit they got it wrong.

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Arsenal eased to a comfortable win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend, despite missing many key players.

Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and William Saliba were all out injured, and Martin Odegaard was forced out of the game within minutes. Yet their replacements did very well, perhaps most notably Noni Madueke on the right wing.

There were plenty of complaints from Arsenal fans when the Gunners signed Madueke from Chelsea for an initial £48m. But the winger has been impressive over the last month, and NBC Sports pundit Tim Howard argues it was actually a bad deal for the selling club.

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“It’s a miss, Chelsea have missed that one,” Howard said. “That’s going to happen, they buy so many talented young players. From a recruitment standpoint, maybe they don’t get enough time.

“He’s a special player. Never should have been let go by Chelsea. They got that one wrong, they have to admit that.

“Arsenal, on the other hand, have done really good business. What Arsenal need to get away from is this ‘oh gosh, Odegaard goes down, our season is gone’. The other top teams don’t do that.

“Saka, we know he’s probably the best player in the team, but guess what? If he’s out, no problem, Madueke can come in and be a star.”

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Howard wasn’t the only one to sing Madueke’s praises over the weekend, with Gary Neville saying similar things for Sky Sports.

“Madueke’s a lot better than I imagined and thought he would be,” Neville said. “And certainly a lot better than Arsenal fans thought he would be!

“A couple of the runs he made for England on Tuesday night were a different level. Arjen Robben used to make those runs against me. I’m giving you players at sort of like a level where you think ‘oh, I’m up against it, this is a different type of player’.

“Sometimes you play against wingers who are dribbling at you and you know they’ve got a trick and you know you’re going to be in for a difficult day. And then you’ve got players who are like a step above.

“Now I’m not saying Madueke’s there yet, but his movements and the things he’s doing are very, very good. And I’m talking from a full-back’s perspective playing against him.”

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Madueke is yet to officially get a goal or assist, but he did play a key role in Arsenal’s opening goal on Saturday. The 23-year-old won a corner with an impressive move, and his own corner delivery was then headed out for Martin Zubimendi to score.

A couple of Madueke’s other runs perhaps should have resulted in goals, if his teammates had been more alert.

The goals and assists will come, but the drive and energy and Madueke is providing on the right-hand side is already giving Arsenal a boost.

With Chelsea’s Madueke replacement Jamie Gittens struggling in his early appearances, it certainly looks like Arsenal got the better end of the deal so far.