Anton Ferdinand insists Arsenal should have pursued a move for Mohammed Kudus over Noni Madueke, claiming the former would have been a better addition.
The Arsenal fan base have been in a divided mood over the last few days ever since the club’s interest in Noni Madueke became clear. The Gunners are in the market for multiple attacking signings, as Mikel Arteta wants to cover the gaps in the attacking setup that were exposed last season, mainly due to key injuries. So, recent reports have linked them with players like Noni Madueke, Mohammed Kudus, and others
The Gunners want to wrap up a move for Viktor Gyokeres, while there is a big interest in Real Madrid winger Rodrygo Goes. Any move for the latter is not planned yet, as Arsenal, alongside other suitors, are waiting on the Brazilian’s decision on his future at Real Madrid.
There are links to Eberechi Eze, and it appears Arsenal are serious about the Crystal Palace star. In recent days, out of the blue, the Gunners were linked with a move for Madueke, and on Thursday night, an agreement was reached with Chelsea over the fee.
Madueke has since been permitted to leave Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign before the final and fly back for a medical with the Gunners. The deal is reportedly set to cost £52 million, as per David Ornstein, and it has divided the fanbase like never before.
For starters, the fans are unhappy about the price point, as well as making another deal with Chelsea. While the two clubs boast excellent relations, the fan sentiment will sound different at all times. Madueke is seen as a solid signing by a few sections, but the others are set to take it up on the chin with a pinch of salt.
Former Premier League defender Anton Ferdinand has cast doubts on whether Arsenal made the right choice with Maduke. In his comments that appeared on Give Me Sport, Ferdinand insisted that the Gunners should have pursued new Tottenham signing Mohammed Kudus, as he believes the Ghanaian international might have been the better option.
Ferdinand said, “He’d be on fire in the Arsenal team. I think he does better in that Arsenal team than Madueke and players like that.”
From the financial point of view, Kudus was slightly costlier than Madueke, as the new Tottenham signing is now seen as a better player than the Chelsea man. Kudus certainly has a formidable reputation in the game, which might be the reason why Ferdinand is leaning towards him.
However, Madueke had a better season than the Ghanaian international, from the numbers the two attackers posted. Both are versatile, and when it comes to Arsenal, they might view the Chelsea man as a backup of sorts to Bukayo Saka on the right wing and hand him occasional forays on the left-hand side, as he does provide a different option.
As for the signing, many fans are set to be on the fence and will only judge based on Madueke’s performance. Whether he is better or worse than Kudus remains to be seen, but in reality, both the north London clubs have signed two excellent players who would improve their current attacking setup.
