Noni Madueke to Arsenal transfer rage as thousands sign petition against £50m move

Arsenal's proposed move for Noni Madueke has been hit with controversy after more than 2,500 fans signed a petition against the £50million transfer.

The Chelsea forward has been the target of abuse by sections ofthe Gunners fanbase. Madueke has agreed personal terms over a switch to North London and football.london understands that the two clubs are in talks over a deal.

A bid worth £50m has been submitted and turned down by Chelsea as negotiations continue. The move has sparked further backlash online after the England international was on the receiving end of criticism when the interest first emerged.

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The chang.org petition was formed on Wednesday and has already surpassed the 2,500 mark in signatures. The description of the petition states: "Arsenal fans deserve better, we are so close to success and instead of capitalising on the squad we have it seems we are moving 2 steps back just like the 3 previous transfer windows.

"We can surely do better than Madueke & Gyokeres show some ambition repay the fans the same way we've backed the club for the past 2 decades."

Madueke isn't the first player that Arsenal have wanted to sign that hasn't been met with a good reception from their fanbase. In the summer of 2021, Aaron Ramsdale faced similar problems, something he opened up about afterwards.

"I saw the backlash,"Ramsdale told The Times. "That's when I made the decision to turn comments off and notifications off for people I don't follow on Instagram and Twitter. People can tag me, but I won't see it, so it won't come up on my feed.

"When people were saying I was getting a lot of stick and abuse, I said, 'Am I?' Because I didn't really know and I didn't really care because, yes, I've been relegated twice but the way I looked at it was two years of completely different experiences to other people at 23 [years old]. It's me and 10 other people on the pitch."

Opinion of lead Arsenal writer Tom Canton: "When will certain sections of this fan base stop embarrassing themselves with the vitriolic words they spew across social media? The examples above of Aaron Ramsdale and Kai Havertz are just the tip of the iceberg, and while we have seen some consequences, the battle to combat these online trolls appears never-ending.

"Imagine being in the shoes of an Eberechi Eze or Rodrygo, witnessing the abuse sent to a player before they have even kicked a ball. Does that send the message that you're joining a club with a fan base ready to back you through thick and thin? Absolutely not."