Noni Madueke reveals surprise Arsenal teammate conversation after £52m Chelsea transfer confirmation

New Arsenal signing Noni Madueke has revealed that he held chats with Jurrien Timber about the culture at the Emirates Stadium ahead of his recently-confirmed arrival from Chelsea.

The Gunners unveiled the 23-year-old as their fourth signing of the summer window on Friday evening, as Madueke joined up with Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard in the red half of North London.

The versatile attacker is understood to have signed a five-year agreement with Mikel Arteta's side, and Arsenal will pay an initial £48m for his services, potentially rising to £52m through performance-related add-ons.

Speaking to arsenal.com in his first interview since arriving, Madueke revealed that he had spoken to his Arsenal-based England teammates and also Timber about life at the club; the latter two played against each other in the Eredivisie while representing PSV Eindhoven and Ajax respectively.

"I've spoken to Dec, Myles, Bukayo, even Jurrien as well and they all say amazing things about the club and the culture here, how warm it is and how much of a family it is," Madueke said.

Madueke 'does not want to rest' after Arsenal transfer

"I’m really happy to be a part of the Arsenal family now. I'm very happy, very excited to get to work. I’ll go on holiday for a little bit now, but I can't wait to get back and meet all the boys and train.

“I was saying it to all my friends walking around here, you don't even want to take the rest. I know I have to for my body and stuff to heal, but when I come back, I'll be raring to go."

News of Arsenal pursuing a deal for Madueke was not warmly-received by the entire Gunners fanbase, though, and a petition on change.org protesting against his signing amassed over 5,000 signatures.

Madueke came through the youth ranks at Arsenal's bitter rivals Spurs before his stint at Chelsea, whom Arsenal have taken plenty of players from down the years, albeit with mixed success.

The Gunners have previously signed two attackers from the Blues' ranks - Willian and Raheem Sterling - but both wingers were huge disappointments in North London during their short-lived Arsenal spells.

Madueke confident of "great" personal success at Arsenal

However, Madueke affirmed that he has a gut feeling about his Emirates switch, which he believes will be a "great" personal success.

"I'm somebody who goes with my gut feeling a lot of the time and I feel like it's steered me in the right direction so far," he added. "So, I don't think it's going to be any different here. I think it's going to be a great success and I'm really happy to be here.

"I’ve just been relaxed, waiting for the green light and when I came in today, it all felt real. I'm really happy and really proud, so it's a great moment for me. It's great to go back home, be with my mum, my dad. I know my mum misses me in the house!

“It's already a great team with a clear identity and I can't wait to bring my style to the team and try and help the boys as much as possible to take that next step."

Madueke - who scored 20 goals in 92 games for Chelsea - will not be part of Arsenal's pre-season tour following his Club World Cup exploits, but he could make his Gunners debut against Villarreal at the Emirates on August 6.

Written by
Ben Knapton