Noni Madueke: Phone calls, form and faith

Communication is key for Noni Madueke. It was a phone call from Mikel Arteta that convinced him to join Arsenal. His faith – a quiet conviction he shares with a number of his teammates who pray together before games – gives him inner strength and a calm belief in himself.

And it is his ability to do his talking on the pitch that silenced any doubters who questioned his move to north London.

“I think the first time I got on the phone with Mikel was a great conversation,” Noni says. “It was me and my dad and him. He just highlighted the plans he had for the team and the plans he had for me.

"A lot of the things that he said really resonated with me and then, of course, I knew how good the team was and that they were in a position to really challenge for major honours. So that’s what made the choice for me.”

Noni and his dad were sold. The fact that he had played for Tottenham Hotspur’s academy and was joining us from Chelsea didn’t concern either of them. Their decision was made.

“Me and my dad have been on this journey for 20 years or so now,” Noni said, before stopping and thinking how that sounds. “But I’m not old at all!”

He certainly isn’t. Born in March 2002, Noni entered the world when arguably Arsène Wenger’s greatest team was at its best, clinching the double two months later and going unbeaten in the league when the flying forward was a little less steady on his feet than he is now.

“Growing up I remember Arsenal being a great team,” he says. “Obviously, the main thing I thought of when I thought of Arsenal is the Invincibles, although I was a bit young when that happened – I was only two at the time. But I remember Arsenal just always challenging, and always playing such good football. I remember the Emirates and lots of great players.”

Now, the 23-year-old is part of a squad that’s aiming to end that long wait for the Premier League trophy, but he says that rather than add to the pressure, that’s why he and everyone else is here.

“We believe that this can be our future, for sure. Everyone’s willing to take extra responsibility on the pitch, and that’s really what we reiterate every single day in training and at the stadium. When I signed, I thought that was really good.”

Talking of when he signed, Noni’s arrival at the club garnered a mixed reception, particularly in the often unpleasant world of social media. Talking about it now, he doesn’t even bat an eyelid.

“For me, I’m not really the type to worry too much about that stuff,” he says. “Of course, when you see it, it’s not nice, but it’s one of those things. The public give their opinion. For me, it just kind of gave me a little bit of extra fuel to make sure that when I stepped on the pitch I was ready.”

"FOR US, IT’S FANTASTIC
TO HAVE COMPETITION FOR
PLACES. THAT’S EXACTLY
WHAT WE NEED WHEN WE’RE FIGHTING ON ALL FOUR FRONTS"

Does he enjoy proving people wrong? “Yeah, definitely. I feel, for footballers, that sort of noise can be fuel. I don’t think any footballer really lacks criticism. When it comes your way, it just gives you that extra bit of motivation.”

There hasn’t been much for supporters to complain about in terms of his performances so far. Noni impressed before suffering a knee injury in September, and then returned to score his first three goals for the club, all in the Champions League and two of them against Club Brugge earlier this month. And all he has felt from supporters is… well, support.

“I definitely feel the love from the fans,” he says. “It’s a really special feeling for me to play here at Emirates Stadium.”

It helps that we play a brand of football that resonates with a forward who has pace, technical skill and a relentless workrate.

“I feel like that’s almost the best in me, when you see me in terms of that ability to go past players. I can score a lot more, I can assist a lot more, and I can be more decisive, but that will come.

"I’m starting to feel like myself again and I’m excited for my future. I’m probably my own harshest critic so I know everything I should be doing."

Support comes not just from the crowd but from the manager and his staff. Noni says that Mikel wants to see attacking flair. He wants to see, to use an old phrase, players play with the handbrake off.

“Definitely. For me personally, he wants me to play freely within the structure of the team, of course, to make sure that I’m still diligent. But he’s definitely great in the sense that he wants to see skill and he wants to be excited.

"He says that all the time we have a great balance between being structured and being defensively sound – working hard as a team and being difficult to break down – but also versatile in the sense that we can be really free and attacking. I don’t really see much weakness in our team.

“I feel like that’s our goal to keep winning in every single competition. Fixtures are coming thick and fast and, for us, it’s fantastic to have competition for places.

"That’s exactly what we need when we’re fighting on all four fronts. And it’s great for keeping the standards high on the training pitch.”

There’s something else that you sense has helped Noni settle in, on and off the pitch: his faith. It’s no secret that religion is important to a number of our players, and Noni has found brotherhood and acceptance in the dressing room.

“I think it’s a good thing,” he says. “It’s fantastic that we have a squad that’s not ashamed of that. We believe it gives us such a massive boost when we go on the pitch.

"Obviously, we’ve got each other and I feel like we’re so close. Before every game we pray together for a few minutes, and when we’re away we spend a few minutes studying the Bible and just praying.

“Not even just praying, just seeing if we’re all good, checking on each other and stuff like that. A few of us probably contribute and maybe there’s a scripture we talk about to see what everyone’s going through and how we can help each other.

“I had it when I was at PSV and a little bit at Chelsea – we used to pray in the huddle before the games – but this is definitely the closest I’ve felt in terms of going to my team, so it’s a real blessing."

For Noni, he believes it helps strengthen a unity within the squad that has impressed him from the moment he arrived. That unity can only help with the ultimate goal: winning.

“It’s on ourselves, and we know what we need to do. We’re very understanding of that, on the pitch, and I just feel we know what we’ve done so far and know what we can go on to do. There’s full confidence that we can win trophies this season.”