🚨 EXCL: Chelsea's own internal data warned them NOT to sell Noni Madueke to Arsenal
No wonder Andrea Berta and co. always felt they were getting a superb deal...
Noni Madueke’s fast start to life at Arsenal might have surprised some fans and pundits alike, but not Andrea Berta, Mikel Arteta and the rest of the recruitment team at the Emirates Stadium.
During negotiations between Arsenal and Chelsea during the summer, there was a lot of outside noise: a now infamous fan petition against the Madueke deal, and a general sense of bafflement even among those who were willing to give the player a chance.
Why a left-footed right winger who’s surely not going to start over Bukayo Saka? Why so much money? Why has this deal progressed so fast when negotiations for Viktor Gyokeres dragged on and on (and at one point looked to have collapsed)?
Speaking about it now, Arteta recently admitted in a press conference that Madueke’s reaction to the noise only convinced him even more that this was a deal he was desperate to get done. Few are arguing with that decision now. Charles Watts singled him out for praise in his column for us this week, praising the way he’s dealt with the “scrutiny” around his move.
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