Jackson astonished by ‘brilliant’ new Arsenal signing; Gunners to accept January offer for team-mate

On-loan Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson was blown away by new Arsenal signing Noni Madueke during his time at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners made eight new signings in the summer transfer window with the Arsenal hierarchy hoping Mikel Arteta can end a run of three runners-up finishes in a row to finally win the Premier League title.

Madueke, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, Martin Zubimendi, Cristhian Mosquera, Viktor Gyokeres, Piero Hincapie and Eberechi Eze all moved to the Emirates Stadium over the summer.

There had been a petition from a section of Arsenal fans to block the Madueke signing but they will be thankful the board pushed the deal through, after the winger, who signed from Chelsea for £52m, made a good start to the new season.

And now agent of Madueke’s former Chelsea team-mate, Jackson, has revealed that the Senegal international – who signed on loan for Bayern Munich in the summer with the German club having an obligation to sign the player for €65m – heaped praise on the new Arsenal signing.

Ali Barat told the Daily Mail: “It’s important to make the right steps. You see with Noni how well it’s going for him at Arsenal at the moment.

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“I had dinner with his dad the other day and I’m so happy for them because they’re such a great family.

“To be honest, the one who told me that Noni was brilliant was Nicolas Jackson. He said, ‘Ali, this kid is so good. Trust me, he’s so good in training’.”

When asked about the chaos of Jackson’s transfer saga, Barat said: “It was very intense. There was a willingness and the ability of the clubs to take into account.

“Nico had a really clear vision of his next step, but obviously, he was a Chelsea player and we had to respect their wishes.

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“It required a lot of diplomacy and patience, but in the end, Nico was super happy and the deal was done.

“Hopefully it will be a success for Chelsea in the end and for Bayern Munich. Absolutely there was a sense of satisfaction.

“It was satisfying to get done because I know how big that can be for Nico. Bayern Munich is such a big club.”

When asked if he expected the deal to fall through when Chelsea thought about blocking the deal, Barat replied: “Absolutely.

“At one point, it was certainly under a huge doubt but we just had to keep everyone calm, patient, and in the end, we were in Chelsea’s hands.

“‘If Chelsea didn’t get their replacement, there was a big chance that Nico would have to go back.”

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown – who is still well-connected in the Premier League – insists Madueke’s team-mate, Gabriel Jesus, will leave in the January transfer window.

Brown told Football Insider: “I thought Jesus would have gone during the summer. Obviously the reason he didn’t was the injury he’s been recovering from, clubs decided they would be better off waiting until he was back fit before making a move.

“He’s done a good job when he’s been in the Arsenal team, but it feels like he’s never been able to consistently nail down a place in the starting XI.

“When you see how Gyokeres has hit the ground running with a few goals already, it’s going to be hard for Jesus to get back in the team.

“He isn’t an out-and-out striker like he is, so it’s difficult to see where he fits in the manager’s plans.

“Now that they’ve got Gyokeres there and Havertz to come back as well, it doesn’t feel like there’s a place for him in the side.

“I expect they’ll be wanting to accept offers in January, because Arteta doesn’t see him as part of his plans and he’s going to want to play regular football.

“I hear they’re ready to let him go and I expect he’ll make that move in January if the right offer comes in for him.”