Why Arsenal should loan young striker Eddie Nketiah
In an interview with Football Insider (h/t Mirror), ex-Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has suggested that Arsenal should look to loan out Eddie Nketiah.
The youngster has struggled to find game time over the more prominent Arsenal strikers and Campbell believes that a loan move for the 21-year-old would help him expand his skill set, which should be modelled after fellow Gunner Alexandre Lacazette. (h/t Mirror)
Profile
Born in 1999 in England, Eddie Nketiah joined the Chelsea youth academy at the age of 9 in 2008. He shifted allegiances when he switched to the youth academy of rivals Arsenal in 2015. After scoring 12 goals in 13 appearances for Arsenal’s U-23 side in Premier League 2, Arsene Wenger called him up to the senior side in 2017.
After scoring 3 goals in his first 19 appearances for Arsenal, he was loaned for 6 months to the then-Championship side Leeds United in the summer of 2019. Often used as a substitute by Bielsa, Nketiah bagged 5 goals for Leeds until his return to Arsenal in January 2020. (h/t transfermarkt)
Nketiah needs consistent game time to develop
Nketiah has had just 146 minutes of Premier League action this season for Arsenal, having started only one game out of the total 9 so far. He has been subbed in 7 times, often when there is not long left for him to settle in the game and find his feet.
At the age of 21, Nketiah would have hoped for a better role than that of a benchwarmer. Nketiah has made use of his time pretty well. Having appeared for the Gunners in 15 matches this season, the Englishman has scored 3 goals and assisted one.
Arteta’s lack of faith in Nketiah has been telling. Considering Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now plays down the left flank, Arsenal have just Lacazette ahead of Nketiah as a recognised forward. The Gunners have also had a shocking season up front when it comes to scoring goals, having netted just 9 times in 9 league games.
In light of those facts, Nketiah’s lack of starts in the league and very little game time off the bench shows Arteta is not ready to trust the youngster as yet. The youngster needs game time to prove himself to the Spaniard, which doesn’t seem likely at Arsenal.
Having already played on loan for a renowned Leeds United side under Marcelo Bielsa last year, Nektiah shouldn’t have to look long and hard for another established club that accords more game time to him. If the club is in the Premier League, it would be better.
Verdict
Nketiah is at the age where a centre-forward usually blossoms from a youth prospect into a player battling for starts. While Nketiah has taken the field for Arsenal 15 times in all competitions this season, his solitary league start indicates that he is not a threat to Lacazette’s position at all.
Once Gabriel Martinelli returns from his injury before the new year, Nketiah would be further down the pecking order. Thus, it makes sense for the Englishman to spend another 6 months away from the Gunners. Arteta too should not mind his young striker getting minutes and experience elsewhere.
