Declan Rice and Noni Maduke (Photo: Shaun Botterll, Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice admits he doesn’t like the noise around Noni Maduce’s transfer to gunners from Chelsea.
England International recently completed its switch from Stamford Bridge to Emirates Stadium, but there was Gooner who didn’t respond well to the deal.
There have been viral anti-Madueke petitions, especially online, but some graffiti have appeared near Arsenal’s stadium, demanding that Mikel Arteta be fired at about the same time.
Needless to say, Rice didn’t seem to have thought of that much, as he is now diving into the defense of his new teammate.
Rice and Madueke know each other from British obligations. It’s clear that the Arsenal rookie is already sponsoring someone and ready to fight his corner.
Declan Rice on the Noni Maduke Arsenal controversy
“There was clearly a lot of talk about his signature. If I’m being honest, I didn’t like it,” Rice told Athletic.
“But I know how driven he is. I spoke to him. You’ll see what he’s doing this season. As a football player and a player who played with him, we know the quality he has.”
Rice also supported Madueke to prove people wrong, causing some surprises in the upcoming season.
“He is very motivated and he is proven, he wants to prove and show everyone what he can do.
“When he signed, he had 10 or 11 people with him – it’s excitement, that’s good. He’s hungry and he wants to play for Arsenal. Those are the type of players we want. I think he’ll shock a lot of people.
Maduce, the latest player to travel from Chelsea to Arsenal
Part of the controversy over the Madueke deal may have been the fact that Arsenal has signed many Chelsea flops in recent years.
Kai Havertz and Jorginho both did very well, but they divided their opinions, but David Luiz, Willian and Raheem Sterling were really poor during North London.
Back further, most Arsenal fans probably don’t have very positive memories like Petr Cech, William Gallas, Lassana Diarra and more.