ARSENAL midfielder Declan Rice says he “didn’t like” the reaction online from some fans about the signing of Noni Madueke from Chelsea, but backed the winger to “shock” with his talent.
Madueke, 23, joined for an initial £48.5m last week as Arsenal look to increase their attacking options.
However, the signing caused a backlash, with the hashtag #NoToMadueke posted across social media, and a petition started which had more than 5,000 signatures.
“I know how driven he is,” Rice said after Arsenal’s 1-0 pre-season win over AC Milan in Singapore.
“I’ve spoken to him and you’re going to see what he’s about this season. He wants to prove and show everyone what he really can do.
“He’s hungry, he wants to play for Arsenal and that’s the type of players we want. It’s so positive.
“He’s going to shock a lot of people and I can’t wait for him to come.
“People have been speaking internally – the players, the staff. We know the player that we’re getting and we’re really looking forward to having him at our club. It’s going to be really exciting.”
Rice wrote a letter to Madueke when he signed for Arsenal, and the winger was seen reading some of it during the transfer announcement video that Arsenal posted across their channels.
Rice said the club came up with the idea and it was “a nice little touch for him to join the club and feel welcome”, and Madueke had “messaged me about it, saying that he really, really appreciates it”.
Madueke has been signed to support Bukayo Saka on the right wing and to challenge Gabriel Martinelli for his starting role on the left-hand side.
Madueke has been a regular for Chelsea over the past two seasons, scoring 20 goals in 92 appearances.
The Gunners have struggled to break down teams that defend deep against them at times and Madueke’s ability to beat his defender is seen a huge boost to the squad as they look to win a trophy this season after coming so close in previous campaigns.
“When you’re an attacking player and in your mind the first thought you have is to go past your defender, that’s an unbelievable trait to have,” Rice said about Madueke’s ability.
“He’s going to bring that to the squad along with the other wingers we have. Let’s be real – last year we hardly had any depth in any areas.
“We played half the season pretty much with so many injuries, so to now be able to rotate and push in different competitions with different players is going to be really, really good. That’s key for us.”