‘It was like fuel to him’ - Arteta claims fans’ protest against Madueke’s signing motivated his new performance

The Gunners signed the England international during the summer transfer window from Chelsea for a fee worth £52 million.

Following his signing, over 4,000 supporters signed a petition this summer opposing the transfer, with the hashtag #NoToMadueke gaining traction on social media platform X. 

Despite the initial backlash, Madueke made a strong start with several impressive displays before a knee injury sustained against Manchester City in September sidelined him for six of Arsenal's 12 Premier League games this season.

Speaking ahead of the top-of-the-table clash, Arteta addressed the social media campaign. "If anything, it gave me more conviction and more will to help him and do everything we possibly could to make this relationship work," the manager stated.

"I think that campaign lasted a short period of time, and immediately we had the complete opposite reaction, which I think he valued, respected, and it was like fuel to him. It did not affect him."

The 23-year-old made his return after a nine-week absence in the North London derby, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute of the 4-1 victory over Tottenham. 

The winger scored his first goal for the Gunners in their 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.

He is now in contention to face his former club when the Gunners host Chelsea on Sunday in a top-of-the-table clash.