Towards the end of last season, it looked as if Eddie Nketiah was on his way out of Arsenal.
The 23-year-old was nearing free agency as his contract grew ever closer to expiring, and by his own admission, he considered leaving the Emirates Stadium.
Ultimately, Nketiah signed a new five-year contract with the Gunners, and on the basis of a goal he scored in training earlier today, the England Under-21 international is full of confidence at Arsenal.
What’s the story?
Well, the Arsenal No.14 scored a stunning no-look finish at London Colney, proving that he hasn’t lost any confidence in north London despite his rival – Gabriel Jesus – starting the season on fire.
Blink and you’ll miss it – Nketiah didn’t even need to look as he curled a powerful finish into the far post.
The Hale End graduate confidently looked to his right at the decisive moment as he showcased his finishing ability in front of Jesus, who was stood waiting for his turn to strike the ball.
Clearly, Mikel Arteta is doing well to keep Nketiah motivated and confident, despite opting to start Jesus in both of Arsenal’s Premier League games so far.
Eddie Nketiah may have to be patient at Arsenal
After Jesus enjoyed such an impressive start to the campaign in wins over Crystal Palace and Leicester, we feel Nketiah may need to bide his time for a starting berth in the Premier League.
Unless the £45m signing from Manchester City suffers a significant dip in form, we can’t see Arteta dropping him for Nketiah – given the South American’s vast talent, we doubt he will start to hinder the side.
Therefore, just like when he had Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of him, Nketiah may need to contend with starts in the domestic cup competitions and the Europa League.
As we recently documented, the Arsenal No.14 is probably regretting his decision to reject West Ham and Leeds.
It probably isn’t what Nketiah envisaged when signing his new five-year contract, but with Jesus playing so well, he can have no complaints.
In other news, Striker said Tottenham wanted him, now he’s scored one goal in 14 games
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/08/17/video-23-year-old-who-nearly-left-arsenal-this-summer-does-something-amazing-at-london-colney/
