Perry Groves tells Mikel Arteta to deploy £48.5m Arsenal star at left wing – ‘crazy’
Perry Groves wants Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to deploy Noni Madueke at left wing this season.
Arsenal sold specialist left wingers Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli in the summer transfer window.
Trossard left Arsenal for Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas in July for a total of £17million. Martinelli has joined Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal from the Premier League champions for £60m.
Christos Tzolis is now the only specialist left winger in the Arsenal squad. However, Eberechi Eze is also able to play on the left side of the attack.
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Former Arsenal star Groves believes that it is not Eze but Madueke who should be deployed on the left wing.
The England international winger joined Arsenal from Chelsea in the summer of 2025 for an initial fee of £48.5million.
Madueke, who is left-footed, has made 45 appearances in an Arsenal shirt so far in his career, scoring eight goals and providing four assists in the process.
Arsenal told to use Noni Madueke at left wing
Groves said on talkSPORT: “Everybody is saying we are a bit light out on the left.
“Eze can play out there.
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“What about, here’s one for you, I am going to put it right out there, trying to get it straight, what about putting a left-footed player out on the left wing, like Madueke.
“Guys, that’s crazy, crazy.”
Viktor Gyokeres ‘lucky’ to be at Arsenal
Meanwhile, former Watford striker Troy Deeney believes that Viktor Gyokeres is lucky to be at Arsenal.
Arsenal wanted to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window.
The Premier League champions also made a late attempt to sign Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan.
Deeney said on talkSPORT: “I think he knows he’s lucky to be there, personally.
“I think when you look at his career, look at his attributes, he’s probably going, ‘I’m at a team here, I’ve won the Premier League, this is unbelievable’.
“He will be used in the Champions League, but also there’s a business element to this where sometimes, things just get swept under the rug now.
“He’ll have a conversation, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing over the next two, three weeks, he gets more minutes and more time now the window’s closed.
“Mikel is not stupid enough to just keep him on the outside, he’ll be like, ‘Alright, you’re still here, you’re part of the squad, let’s move forward’.”
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