Arsenal star Saka’s influence in colossal transfer revealed as delighted Arteta talks up £52m man

Noni Madueke is starting to show Arsenal fans exactly why Mikel Arteta was convinced to shell out a huge £52m fee for his services this summer – and the Gunners manager has revealed the surprise role Bukayo Saka had in the winger’s arrival from Chelsea.

The Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw by the Blues at Chelsea, which saw their lead at the top cut to five points. While the game’s major talking point was yet another sending off for the hosts – this time for Moises Caicedo – it was the first return of Madueke to Stamford Bridge since his summer move that also drew attention.

Indeed, question marks have been raised over whether the £52m (€62m, $70m) spent on bringing the England winger to Arsenal this summer was money well spent, with the player going eight games without a goal or assist for his new club.

However, after netting in the 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich last week, the 23-year-old is now up and running for the Gunners, who had been strongly advised to resist the urge to sign him by former Arsenal star Paul Merson this summer.

Describing himself as “flabbergasted” and labelling the player too “inconsistent” for the fee involved, Merson had advised Arteta to look elsewhere.

Nonetheless, Arteta went ahead with the deal and has been delighted by Madueke’s contributions so far, despite the obvious lack of goal contributions thus far.

Now, shedding light on the deal, Arteta has now revealed the “glowing reference” Saka gave him in pushing through the move…

IN-DEPTH 🔴⚪Breaking down Arsenal’s five reasons for signing Madueke and which have been justified so far

Arteta explains Madueke move and insists star will come good

Indeed, Saka and Madueke have been friends for a good number of years,with their fathers also long-time companions too.

And while Saka would not use his influence to push through a signing that wouldn’t be in Arsenal’s best interests, the fact he gave Arteta a ringing endorsement of the player’s abilities and character only served to underline his desire to sign him, the Evening Standard reports.

When asked about the initial opposition to Madueke’s move across London to Arsenal and why he is firmly backing the player to come good, Arteta explained: “If anything, it gave me more conviction and more will to help him, and do everything we possibly could to make his relationship work and to prepare everything around him in the best possible way.

“I think that lasted a short period of time, and immediately we had the complete opposite reaction, which I think he valued, respected, and it was like fuel to him.”

Madueke was part of a slightly unsavoury moment in the game when tackled by Enzo Fernandez and was taunted by both Marc Cucurella and the Blues vice-captain as he lay on the ground.

See what Enzo Fernandez and Cucurella did to Madueke😭😂 pic.twitter.com/fi0SjsPmIG

— CFC OBEY (@_kobbyphocus) November 30, 2025

However, the player did not react and showed why he is only focused on his own game and on his determination to succeed for the Gunners.

“You are in the public eye – people can say whatever they want about you,” the England star said after netting against Bayern last week. “But being in the stadium, and how the fans have taken to me in the stadium, is unbelievable.”

Latest Arsenal news: Chelsea move blocked; Real Madrid love Gunners star

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s audacious attempts to sign an Arsenal star will NOT succeed, with two sources revealing how the Gunners have responded to the noise around the player.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are sizing up a clever LaLiga signing that can be sprung via a release clause, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed – and TEAMtalk can shed further light on the developing situation.

In other news, a shock report has claimed Real Madrid see a world-class Arsenal star as ‘the perfect signing’ amid reports that they are lining up a sizeable offer in 2026.

Finally, David Ornstein and an Arsenal expert at The Athletic have provided insight into four rumoured deals at the Emirates, including just how close star boy, Saka’ is to a new deal.