Enzo Maresca has revealed who was behind the decision to allow Noni Madueke to leave Chelsea for Arsenal.
The two London clubs have come to an agreement for the transfer of the 23-year-old England star, with a £52million deal close to being completed for the wide man.
Personal terms over a five-year deal have already been agreed, as reported in this week’s Chelsea Confidential on Mail Sport.
It’s a transfer that has raised a few eyebrows given the obvious potential of the player, while one of Arsenal’s stars already occupied Madueke’s best position on the right wing in Bukayo Saka.
Still, Madueke has left the Blues camp at the Club World Cup to complete the move, with a formal announcement expected in the near future.
Now, Blues boss Maresca has revealed who had the call for the player to move on – and it was Madueke himself.
‘Noni is in contact with a new club,’ Maresca said. ‘I guess that he’s going to leave in the next hours.
‘I said in one of the last press conferences that at the end, if players want to leave, at the end, it’s difficult for the club and for the manager.
‘Noni decided to leave, nobody told Noni he had to leave. If he is happy, we are happy.’
Maresca had previously admitted he was fine with Madueke departing if he didn’t want to be at the club, almost pushing him out the door.
The Italian said last weekend: ‘Noni has been very important for us. But my message to the players and to the club is that I want just players that are happy to be with us,’ Maresca said.
‘The ones that are not happy, they are free to go. Noni has been very good during the season’.
Madueke has been a regular for Chelsea over the last season, including playing the entirety of their Conference League final which they won against Real Betis.
He has also been used at this Club World Cup, though was a substitute rather than a starter in their semi-final win over Fluminense amid apparent concerns from Maresca that his focus was not entirely on his current side.
Mail Sport reported on Tuesday that a winger has been targeted by Arsenal this summer, with Madueke high on their list.
The Gunners have been looking to bolster their attacking options this transfer window, with a move to sign Victor Gyokeres close – though reportedly at risk of collapsing due to a silence in negotiations.
They had also been on the hunt for a winger – it is understood their preference was a left-sided wide man, but one who can play on either side, like Madueke, was also an option.
The Gunners then approached the player and there were no hurdles in terms of personal terms and the negotiations with Chelsea went smoothly too.
While Madueke is set for the exit, Chelsea have an 18-year-old wonderkid in Estevao Willian arriving from Palmeiras this summer. He played on the right wing against his future employers and scored a spectacular goal in a sign of his potential.
Madueke is left-footed and prefers to play on the right – a position occupied by Saka at Arsenal. But he is also capable of playing the left and has featured there recently for the Blues.
Maresca left Madueke out of two matches in 2024-25 for internal reasons, one of those coming when he had performed poorly in training.
He will likely compete with the likes of Gabriel Martinelli for a starting spot in the Arsenal team next season.
