Noni Madueke’s new level at Arsenal has been reflected in his reaction to a late miss against Hull City, where frustration lingered after the final whistle despite a 1-0 win. The winger had earlier been central to the only goal, his shot forcing a save that Martin Odegaard converted, and his overall performance underlined a significant shift in his output.
Tangible improvement in chance creation
Madueke is now creating more chances than any other player in the Premier League, averaging 3.57 per 90 minutes. That figure has more than doubled from last season and places him above Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki. His expected assists stand at 0.32 per 90 minutes, behind only Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku, showing that the quality of his opportunities matches the volume.
Against Hull, the numbers were striking: 13 touches in the opposition box, the most by an Arsenal player in any Premier League game this season, along with a combined eight shots and chances created, and five successful dribbles. Almost everything positive from Arsenal’s attack came through him.
Composure replacing chaos
Previously capable of causing chaos but often erratic, Madueke is now making clearer decisions in the final third. His dribble success rate has risen from 50 per cent to 55 per cent, his pass success rate from 78 per cent to 87 per cent, and his open-play cross completion rate from 14 per cent to 33 per cent. Crucially, he is directing a higher percentage of passes forward and completing more of them, as shown by a superb diagonal ball from deep that launched a Declan Rice counter against Hull.
His threat is varied: a left-footed diagonal cross nearly found Gabriel, a right-footed cut-back reached Christos Tzolis, and later crosses picked out Rice and Bruno Guimaraes. This variety, combined with greater efficiency, has made him a more predictable threat for defenders to handle.
Arteta's influence and the road to responsibility
Mikel Arteta attributes the progress to Madueke’s decision to train independently during the last international break, after starting only two of Arsenal’s first seven games. The manager described his response as an example for the squad, noting that the winger refused to accept his situation and returned a different player. Madueke’s determination is not new; he has worked with specialist coach Saul Isaksson-Hurst since his time at PSV Eindhoven, and the coach calls him a mentality monster.
That mentality was tested when he was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad between the midweek trip to Prague, where he scored the opening goal, and the Hull match. Rather than allowing the setback to affect him, Madueke continued to impress on the left before returning to the right after Bukayo Saka’s injury against Bayern Munich.
Filling Saka's boots
Saka’s injury was a significant blow to Arsenal, but Madueke has made it his mission to soften the impact. Some questioned his decision to become back-up to Saka, yet he has made a success of his move from Chelsea. Against Hull, he made his 100th Premier League appearance, 67 of which have come with Arsenal.
Arteta still sees room for improvement. He noted that there are margins and moments where decisions could be better and execution more efficient, but the overall trend is clear. Madueke is losing possession less frequently, offering composure alongside his unpredictability, and providing markedly better end product.
With Arsenal six points clear at the top of the Premier League, Madueke’s growing importance to Arteta is undeniable. The challenge now, as his manager pointed out, is to hold that position and continue to improve. If his recent form is any guide, the winger is unlikely to settle for anything less.
