Juventus and Atletico Madrid circle Madueke as Arsenal winger falls out of favour under Arteta

Noni Madueke is attracting interest from Juventus and Atletico Madrid ahead of the January transfer window, with the Arsenal winger having played just 27 minutes of Premier League football this season following his £50m arrival from Chelsea last summer.

The 24-year-old England international managed eight goals in 43 appearances across all competitions as Arsenal finished the previous campaign, but his limited role under Mikel Arteta this term has cost him his place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. According to The Telegraph, both Serie A giants Juventus and La Liga side Atletico Madrid are long-term admirers and could move for Madueke in January. Any deal is expected to take the form of a loan rather than a permanent transfer, with Madueke still holding close to four years remaining on his contract at the Emirates.

Madueke’s situation has been shaped in part by a significant summer reshuffle of Arsenal’s attacking options. Gabriel Martinelli departed for Saudi side Al-Hilal, Leandro Trossard was sold to Besiktas, and the Gunners moved to sign Greek forward Christos Tzolis as a replacement.

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has been candid about his assessment of the winger. Speaking to talkSPORT, Petit said: “Noni Madueke, for me, isn’t good enough, I’m sorry to say that, but he must do much more than that to improve. But we definitely need wingers and probably one striker with pace, technical skills, great movement. We need to improve up front.”

Petit also named Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus among the players he felt Arsenal should have moved on from, while expressing a preference for keeping Trossard — a decision the club ultimately made before selling the Belgian anyway.

With Arteta’s squad depth at wide positions now tested, the manager faces a genuine dilemma over whether to allow Madueke to leave on loan in January or retain him as cover for the second half of the season. Arsenal return to action this weekend against Leeds at the Emirates Stadium.