Noni Madueke or Ademola Lookman: who would have been the better Arsenal signing?

English Premier League club Arsenal are set to confirm the signing of Noni Madueke from Chelsea in what might be the most shocking deal of this summer, Soccernet.ng reports.

The deal will cost the Gunners around €58 million, as Madueke is expected to come in as a backup for Bukayo Saka or an extra option on the left wing.

EXCLUSIVE: Noni Madueke to Arsenal, here we go! Fee agreed in excess of £50m with add-ons included, green light from Chelsea.

Madueke already agreed five year deal at Arsenal days ago and he’s now set to complete the move.

The winger leaves #CFC to join #AFC. pic.twitter.com/Cjeqnlswle

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 10, 2025

This deal is a surprise to many football fans, as Madueke's time at Chelsea has been plagued with inconsistency. In fact, a section of Arsenal fans put up a petition to try to stop the move.

: Arsenal fans have started a petition to stop the signing of Noni Madueke and have collected over 2200 signatures.

(Source: @TeleFootball) pic.twitter.com/Fo3dASp0fD

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 10, 2025

Madueke has contributed 20 goals and nine assists in 92 games, which is quite a decent return for a decent winger － not a top winger. Also, some of his best displays have come in patches.

The 23-year-old Englishman's major strengths are his dribbling, and pace. But he hardly uses these strengths regularly and efficiently.

Madueke averaged 8.8 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes during the 2024/25 Premier League season. That ranks him second in the entire league, with only Mohamed Salah (9.5) ahead of him. It’s a stat that highlights just how consistently Madueke gets into dangerous… pic.twitter.com/9rzcHq99KQ

— AK Arsenal (@akarsenalnews) July 11, 2025

Noni Madueke scored 7 league goals from an XG of 9.6 an XG underperformance of -2.6 goals.

The most in the Chelsea squad and the 5th highest in the Premier League pic.twitter.com/quCt3knSRu

— EchoStats (@echo9stats) July 9, 2025

Well if i go just by stats logic which some are bringing up for Noni Madueke, FYI guys this is a stats of comparison between Reiss nelson vs Noni last season…….

Moral of the story: Stats doesn't tell the whole story. pic.twitter.com/SV69Ls0Dzb

— Sharath Krishnan (@Kannanz0711) July 11, 2025

Last season, he ranks high for players with the most touches in opposition box, expected non-penalty goals and non-penalty assists (npG+A). However, he underperformed his expected goals (xG) last season.

Aside from these underlying stats, Madueke doesn't really catch the eye with his performances. Against solid defenders, he tends to struggle.

Despite this, there is still a big room for improvement, as he is still very young.

Is Ademola Lookman the solution to Arteta’s problems at Arsenal?

Although Arsenal have been very good in recent seasons, they have not been great. And that is why they are yet to win a notable trophy like the Premier League or the UEFA Champions League in recent years.

Coming into this summer, the Gunners were expected to go for marquee signings － established performers who would come in and do the job immediately to land them trophies.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman since the turn of the year. And it was expected that they would go all out to land him.

The statistics are proof of the Nigerian's excellence, as he has contributed 52 goals and 25 assists in 118 appearances for Atalanta.

He has also shown that he can perform on the biggest stages, as he singlehandedly landed La Dea the Europa League two seasons ago.

Lookman can play as a left winger and as a striker. He has pace to burn, always assists the defence, and is deadly in front of goal.

With these qualities, he would surely be an asset for the Gunners for the next three years at least.

Lookman, who turns 28 in October, is five years older than Maduke. And at his age, most players are at the peak of their game. So, his performances would continue to improve.

Madueke could also improve with proper coaching in the coming years. And since he has experience playing at a top Premier League club, he will have no problem adjusting to life at Arsenal.

On the other hand, while Lookman has played in the Premier League with Everton and Fulham, he has never played for a top English club.

Right now, the Gunners are getting a lot of stick for Madueke. But they will hope that he comes good eventually.