Noni Madueke swapped Chelsea for Arsenal this summer and an ex-teammate’s comment has caused a stir.
Madueke’s spell at Chelsea lasted just one-and-a-half seasons after moving to Stamford Bridge in January 2023 for an estimated £28.5m from PSV Eindhoven.
The winger made a blistering start to the new season under Enzo Maresca, netting a hat-trick against Wolves in August, but by December he had lost his starting place.
Maresca publicly called out Madueke who was told he must ‘work harder’ in order to earn his place back. With Chelsea further bolstering their forward options with Joao Pedro and Liam Delap this summer, Madueke opted to move to their rivals Arsenal for a reported £48.5m.
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The signing was not well received by Arsenal supporters with some fans opting to start a petition to veto the signing, a move that was slammed by Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
Madueke made his first appearance for his new side during a pre-season friendly against Villarreal where he impressed supporters after replacing Gabriel Martinelli on the left wing.
The England international posted a message to his new fans thanking them for their support.
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Madueke wrote on Instagram: “Thank you Arsenal fans for the warm welcome yesterday. PLaying at the Emirates for the first time as an Arsenal player felt so special.”
It wasn’t Madueke’s post that caught the attention of Chelsea fans, it was a comment from one of their current academy players.
U15 star Heze Grimwade was spotted writing “Looked better in blue” with the two eyes emoji.
One fan said: “Proper Chels.”
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Another added: “Tbh blue is the color, so hes just speaking facts.”
A third said: “There are eye emojis and heart emojis….. It’s clearly friendly banter.”
Grimwade has made appearances for Chelsea’s U18 side and is well regarded in the Cobham academy.
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Arsenal manager Arteta was quick to make his feelings clear on Madueke’s debut, highlighting the winger’s versatility ahead of the Premier League season.
He said: “"l think Noni, when you ask him, he's very comfortable playing right and left so if we want to have inverted footed players, we can do that.
"He's a real threat, I wouldn’t want to play against him and we want to find something else and playing with natural-footed players, he's going to give us that solution.
"Today you've already seen a couple of balls that he put in the box, the pace and the quality he can deliver. So, great option."
Marcus Banks