Arsenal winger Noni Madueke is eagerly looking ahead to Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Noni Madueke, 23, was in fine form on Wednesday as he helped Arsenal secure a 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League at the Emirates Stadium, finding the net in the process.
“I can’t wait! You go eight weeks without the thing you love the most in the world, so you are chomping at the bit to just be on the pitch,” Madueke told TNT Sports. “First versus second, they have got a top team, we are a top team, so it is going to be a good game.”
Madueke’s summer transfer from Chelsea sparked debate among fans, with a petition protesting his £48.5 million move gathering more than 4,000 signatures. The winger says he has moved on from the criticism.
“You are in the public eye, people can say whatever they want about you,” he said. “But being in the stadium, and how the fans have taken to me in the stadium, is unbelievable.”
The England international missed six of Arsenal’s 12 league matches this season after suffering a knee injury in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City in September. He returned from nine weeks out in the north London derby, coming on in the 78th minute of a 4-1 win against Tottenham.
“The last game versus Tottenham was incredible and that gives me such a boost,” he said. “I play on the side of the pitch. I can feel them; I can hear them. When they are that positive about me, it gives me a massive boost. Honestly, I am made up about it.”
Arsenal currently lead the Premier League, six points clear of Chelsea. Madueke is keeping his focus firmly on the team rather than the headlines.
“It might be a little bit hostile; it might not be. But I am a professional footballer,” he said. “I have played in loads of atmospheres. I don’t know if anything will faze me. I will just be focused on the task. The fixture is not about me. The fixture is about Arsenal getting another three points in the league and being closer to the objective.”
