مدير عام كرة القدم
- Rice and Saka have played with Madueke for England
- Gave him "glowing praise"
- Madueke completed £52m move to Emirates
According to Telegraph journalist Sam Dean, Saka and Rice both gave “glowing reviews” of their compatriot when speaking to Mikel Arteta and others inside the club about the potential transfer, before Madueke completed a £52 million ($70m) switch across London. Rice and Saka know Madueke from England international duty and believe the 23-year-old can make an impact at Arsenal.
The Gunners’ initial links to Madueke were met with criticism from fans online, but this proves that those who know the winger personally trust in his ability to deliver and grow as a player at Arsenal. He may end up competing with Saka for a place on the right, though he is likely to begin as back-up to his international colleague.
In a video uploaded to Arsenal’s Instagram page on Friday, Madueke cited both Saka and Rice as two of his best friends in the Gunners squad, alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly and Jurrien Timber. This further underlines the impact Saka and Rice may have had on the transfer behind the scenes, both in terms of convincing the club but also in convincing the former Chelsea winger it was the right move.
Madueke is set to join up with his new team-mates in early August, having just competed in the Club كأس العالم with winners Chelsea, and will hope to play alongside Saka and Rice for the first time before their الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز opener against مانشستر يونايتد on August 17.
