Noni Madueke showed his critics what he is capable of after the Arsenal winger impressed in World Cup debut for England
Arsenal are on the lookout to strengthen their forward line this summer, with investment expected particularly in the wide areas. Bradley Barcola, Christos Tzolis and Morgan Rogers are among those football.london understands the club have a genuine interest in while talks continue over a move for young talent Jeremy Monga.
However, with the World Cup underway, many expect that some stars might stand out and catch the eye of sporting director Andrea Berta or, of course, Mikel Arteta. Yet for England, it was an existing Arsenal player who shone.
While Bukayo Saka came off the bench and assisted Marcus Rashford for England’s fourth, to little surprise of anyone, it was Noni Madueke who started on the right wing and impressed. Despite some presumptuous complaints at the starting eleven, Madueke ended with plenty of plaudits.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
After signing for £52million last summer, Madueke’s title-winning contributions were limited and drew some scrutiny, especially when Ethan Nwaneri both left on loan and, more recently, looks a likely summer departure as a result of the former Chelsea man’s arrival.
I’ve raised my concerns on the latter and posited whether it was the right choice. However, more performances like the one we saw against Croatia, and those criticisms, will quickly and happily dissipate.
Madueke won the penalty, which Harry Kane, after being gratefully awarded a chance to retake, put away to give England the lead. The 24-year-old set about causing havoc down the right, with driving runs and crosses.
One right-footed ball into the box nearly gifted Jude Bellingham a goal. However, his run to take away the covering defender in the second half would help the Real Madrid man find the space to score the Three Lions’ third on the night.
With so much potentially looking to be invested in the forward line, and money to be made from the likes of Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, not needing to focus on the right wing would be a blessing. More showings from Madueke and Berta and Arteta’s plan will no doubt be boosted.
