Matt is an experienced sports journalist and Senior Editor at Football FanCast with 15 years of experience covering football across the Premier League, EFL and Scottish football. Since joining the publication in 2019, he has progressed from writer to Assistant Editor and Senior Editor, a position he has held since 2021.  

A Sports Journalism graduate, Matt previously served as Arsenal and Premier League Editor at VAVEL and gained club-media experience with Chesterfield FC. His journalism has appeared through the Press Association, with his work featured by Sky Sports and the Daily Mail.
 

Throughout his career, Matt has interviewed prominent football figures including Arsène Wenger, Ray Parlour, Alan Smith, Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton, while also appearing on Arsenal Fan TV and Love Sport Radio.
 

Today, Matt leads Football FanCast's features team, overseeing opinion coverage, editorial standards and content strategy while continuing to provide detailed football analysis.

Bukayo Saka hobbled off in the opening exchanges of Arsenal's draw with Bayern Munich and everyone feared the worst.

It immediately looked like a bad one, and while it is not a long-term issue, the injuries are now mounting for the club's heroic number 7.

Have we seen the best of Saka? Supporters will hope not, but they are now arguably more equipped to deal with the winger's absence than they ever have during the Mikel Arteta era.

That's because of Noni Madueke. Once much-maligned, Saka's England colleague has come alive when they needed him most.

How Noni Madueke terrorised Hull City

This has been quite the turnaround for Madueke, who, within the space of a few weeks, has become one of the first names on Arteta's teamsheet.

One of his best performances for the Gunners yet came in the 2-1 win over Slavia in midweek, a game where the forward opened the scoring.

It was a well-taken strike on his weaker foot. It was clinical and it was efficient. It was the same efficiency Madueke needed to show against Hull on Saturday afternoon.

For the most part, the £52m signing from Chelsea stole the show. He had the most touches of any player on the pitch in the opposition's box (14), had the joint-most shots (4) and completed the most dribbles (6). He's a maverick and he's in sparkling form.

The 24-year-old's finest moment came in the build-up to the goal. He darted at the Hull defence before firing a low effort towards the near post.

Konstantinos Tzolakis could only parry it as far as Martin Odegaard who was left with a tap-in from a matter of yards out.

Madueke still has some things to refine. He should have scored this weekend but instead of deciding to take a shot when one-on-one with Tzolakis, he tried to round the goalkeeper but was halted in his tracks.

Why Madueke is now Arsenal's best attacker

As Arsenal targeted the likes of Vinicius Junior and Morgan Rogers over the summer, few would have expected that come November, their most impressive forward player this term would be Madueke.

Alas, that's the way the campaign has played out.

With Saka out injured, the manager needed someone to step up and the man of the hour has been Madueke. Christos Tzolis is struggling over on the left and Kai Havertz is enduring another topsy-turvy campaign. The German scored at Anfield but was abject against Hull. To sum up his woes, no player in the Premier League this season has been caught offside on more occasions (15).

He's lacking the same efficiency that he's shown during the vast majority of his Arsenal career. However, while one former Chelsea player struggles, another thrives.

Indeed, in the Premier League this term, Madueke has easily been one of Arsenal's best players. No player is completing more dribbles per 90 minutes, nor is any player better for expected assists per 90.

He's now the best chance creator in the top-flight too. He leads the way in that stat when compared to every player in the division with 3.36 chances created per 90. The next best are Marcus Rashford (3.32) and Rayan Cherki (3.19).

Arsenal have signed a new winger who could challenge Madueke

In 2027, attention will turn to how Arsenal can bolster their forward line. It's a necessity, a non-negotiable.

There is so much to like about the Gunners until they get to the final third. First and foremost, they require a left winger.

RB Leipzig's Antonio Nusa continues to be linked and he could give Arteta's side the pace in transition they have been lacking since Gabriel Martinelli headed for Saudi Arabia.

On the right, everything looks rosy, as it so often has, but unknown to many supporters, they have already signed a talented young winger and he's due to arrive next summer.

That player goes by the name of Edwin Quintero and he's really rather special. Now 17 years of age, he is set to move to north London with his twin brother Holger next year.

A deal was officially wrapped up a year ago to bring the Ecuadorian duo to the Premier League and they look like a pair of captivating talents.

Out of the two, Edwin is generating the most hype. Why? Well, we'll lean on the verdict of scout Jacek Kulig here. At the start of 2025, he compiled a list of wonderkids with 10/10 potential. Among the names were Arsenal's Max Dowman and Edwin Quintero.

So, it looks as though the Gunners have signed one of the best young players in the world here.

Currently plying his trade for Independiente del Valle in Ecuador, he is a product of one of the globe's finest youth academies. It's a system that has produced Piero Hincapie, Moises Caicedo and William Pacho. They have a rich recent history of producing fine young talent.

The Quintero twins look like the next cab off the ranks and there is every reason to believe that Edwin, in particular, can challenge Madueke for minutes in the years to come.

He has already made his first-team debut for IDV, and he's already scored too. In just 203 league minutes, he has an assist as well and while he's not a regular starter just yet, it surely won't be long before he is.

What's he all about? Well, Quintero has remarkably good close control and like Madueke, he's a maverick. His dribbling and ability to beat a man is spellbinding.

Youth scout Filipe Sousa describes him as "an explosive, creative right winger who thrives in one-on-one situations". Sousa further outlines that the teenager's "game is built on speed, flair and ball mastery." That certainly sounds exciting, doesn't it?