"An unbelievable player": Arteta praises £35m Arsenal star ahead of Forest clash

Arsenal will be aiming to return to winning ways when they host Nottingham Forest this afternoon.

The Gunners were on the losing side at Liverpool before the international break.

Dominik Szoboszlai made the difference with a sublime long-range free-kick.

Arsenal have the opportunity to make amends in today’s early kick-off against the Tricky Trees.

Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta has described Noni Madueke as an ‘unbelievable player’ and said that the fans have shown ‘incredible’ support towards the Englishman.

He told Arsenal.com: “I can talk about what I’ve seen and what I have experienced, and I think the welcome that our supporters gave to Noni from day one was incredible.

“So, I don’t know all the ways that people communicated the disagreement with that. But our supporters, they’ve been exceptional and rightly so, because he’s an unbelievable player.”

Madueke’s switch from Chelsea to the Gunners raised some eyebrows during the summer transfer window, but the 23-year-old has made a good impression at the beginning of his career.

The £35 million-rated star has yet to register a goal or an assist for the club, but he was the best attacking player against Liverpool. He had three scoring attempts, producing a fine save from Alisson.

Madueke also impressed with his quick dribbling and pace on the counter-attack. He scored his maiden England goal against Serbia this week and should be full of confidence for the Forest game.

With Bukayo Saka sidelined with a hamstring injury, Madueke is poised to start on the right wing. He has the opportunity to make a goal contribution and prove his credentials to the manager.

Alongside Madueke, Eberechi Eze could make his full debut for the Gunners on the opposite flank on the back of an underwhelming performance from Gabriel Martinelli at Anfield last month.

The 27-year-old had a more effective display off the bench than Martinelli’s 70-minute showing and should be rewarded with his maiden start for the club against Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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