Noni Madueke sends Arsenal message after BBC pundit's unexpected Bukayo Saka claim
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(Credit: Imago)
Jonathan Burnett
Wed 17 September 2025 9:01, UK
Arsenal’s strength in depth paid dividends against Athletic Bilbao as Noni Madueke’s strong start to his career at the Emirates continues.
Mikel Arteta‘s side were forced to dig deep in their Champions League opener on Tuesday, being held at bay by their Basque hosts until a pair of substitutions changed the game in the latter stages for Arsenal.
Arsenal bolstered their squad over the summer with the acquisitions of Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Cristhian Mosquera among others, at a total cost of over £245million.
All five of Arsenal’s aforementioned signings have already made impacts this season, but it was two of the Gunners’ long-term squad members who made the difference against Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday.
Credit: Imago
Arteta’s depth of quality in attack and Madueke’s strong early-season form led Chris Sutton to state that Bukayo Saka is no longer indispensable for Arsenal, as his England team-mate once again impressed.
Madueke started on the right of a front three made up of new signings, but only he stayed on until the game was won in Bilbao as Gyokeres and Eze were hooked for Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.
Trossard teed up Martinelli for Arsenal’s opener within 36 seconds of him coming on and the Brazilian returned the favour 15 minutes later to secure a 2-0 win, as the duo combined seamlessly with Madueke.
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The former Chelsea winger posted on his Instagram story at full-time, saying: “Hard fought win!
See you in our stadium Sunday!”
Credit: @nonzinoo10 on Instagram
Football Insider Verdict
A 2-0 win to open their Champions League account will be ideal for Mikel Arteta, who saw two of his new signings in Eze and Gyokeres both fail to hit the heights before Trossard and Martinelli bailed them out.
Top displays for Martinelli and Trossard, after both were linked with moves away from Arsenal over the summer, give Arteta further food for thought ahead of their Premier League clash with Manchester City.
Madueke’s place on the right flank is secure given Saka’s continued absence through injury, and after a fantastic start to the season for club and country, he won’t be keen to give up his place any time soon.