Too busy to answer the call!
Mikel Arteta enjoys turning to his young guns when it comes to some cup games and before Sunday’s game at Forest they seemed to always repay his faith.
We saw again against Sunderland he turned to some young guns when he gave a debut to Charlie Patino, and Eddie Nketiah repaid his faith of being given a starting berth by scoring a hat-trick so you cannot blame him for doing the same other times.
Yet this weekend in a cup competition that means a lot to the club, the same two players were nowhere to be seen.
We can forgive Patino as he seems to only be beginning to find his feet where the senior team is concerned, but the main question is where was Nketiah during the game? Did he even play?
Oh yes he did, but he obviously was too busy to answer the call this weekend!
After thrashing Sunderland 5-1 last month in a different cup competition and getting a hat-trick, all eyes were on our forward Nketiah against Nottingham Forest.
No disrespect to Sunderland, but Forest are a better side, however you half expected Nketiah to score against them and help us get the win.
But that was not to be the case.
Maybe he really is leaving though and I for one won’t be sad to say goodbye. If he does leave I won’t blame Arsenal for letting him go based on his inconsistent performances.
And if he wants other clubs competing for his signature in the summer, they are hardly going to be impressed with the performance against Forest, are they?
Like I said in a previous article does he have what it takes to make it on the big stage? I don’t think so. And you can’t get bigger than the FA Cup stage, because regardless of who the opponents are, that cup is ours and we are the most successful team when it comes to winning it.
But Nketiah doesn’t seem too bothered by that fact and I just hope that if he leaves, he doesn’t leave us and then turn into Serge Gnabry, firing on all cylinders and becoming a top player!
Although that remains to be seen, I don’t think he will be a top player, and I may eat my words in years to come but for now we may be safe to let him go!
Gooners?
Shenel Osman
@sh3n3l_
Remember Sunderland are two divisions below, those who went gaga over those goals know little about the game. Forest are a league below which is extermely tough and physical. The lad belongs to league1 and nothing special about him and no offenses, that is his level. Another gem signed from the blue half by Wenger, which as usual turned poor (no surprises) like his other deals around the time he got the boot.
Do you mean like signing him for free and now probably getting 15-20 mill for him .
So yes another gem signed by Wenger that will now profit Arteta and funds for his next striker .
Sorry my mistake I forgot the club did their usual and are going to get nothing for him ,could have got that sum in the summer though .
Plus the fact Dan, that MA wants him to sign a new contract!!!
Good old Loose Cannon, he keeps coming up with these little gems of “wisdom”. 😂😂
Plus Ken, Mikel has to defend his players to the press, he never exposes them publicity. He is no Jose M., so just take those remarks with a pinch of salt.
Whatever level he’s at, we’re going to lose him for free.
Pool got £20m for Solanke who was less experienced and had scored less than Nketiah. We haven’t been able to negotiate a dime for Eddie! That’s pathetic business.
We did have offers and refused to sell. Negligence
Nketiah refused the terms offered by Palace…. Nothing Arteta could do about it….
You forgot the one they sold to sheffield 😂 forgot his name
That was a robbery, much like Everton buying Iwobi….still feel bad for them.
Nketiah proved last season he is not good enough. Fact he is still here is disappointing. But Arteta coming out today and saying he is staying is shocking, which can only show that despite all the words we will not be signing Vlah or Isak . Big club attracting worlds best? Delusional
No, he wasn’t helped by our two weak pivots to hold the ball at Nottingham stadium. He’d probably be more consistent if we have better ball winners, but we still need a different type of CF to do hold-up play
Arteta has confirmed Nketiah will stay till the end of this season
Nketiah came up to 1st team as a poacher and never improved his game since.
1. No technique
2. First touch like a brick wall
3. Can’t create his own chances
4. No hold up play
5. Poor finisher.
Someone needs to remove Arteta’s rose-tinted glasses. He had this same obsession with Willian and trying to prove the world wrong and he’s right.
You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear as Jon says. Nketiah is only taking a roster spot that’s better used for a promising young talent.
Cut bait as soon as possible, best for club and player.
If we have got any “promising young talent” good enough to use for a “roster spot” Durand I would suggest now is the time, who are you thinking of?
Before his loan Balogun I thought would be an option for the spot and opportunities. I would rather have kept Nelson and be given opportunities over Nketiah.
Those are just 2 examples, I’m sure there are more options as well.
OK, thanks Durand, so in short you would rather we had sold Eddie and not let Balogun go on loan, fair enough, cheers
I have always wondered if striker is the best position for Nketiah. He has pace, an engine that runs all day, and the work ethic to put in a shift.
I admit I am not an expert by any means, but Edie doesn’t have the characteristics of a CF. Not strong, can’t create on his own, hold up play, and is a sketchy finisher.
Maybe if he was played as a winger a couple years ago, given a chance to progress in that position?
He hasn’t shown that he is willing to work hard enough to play another position. He won’t track back, defend or chase lost balls. I think he is a lazy player who just waits for the ball in front of goal. That doesn’t work in Arteta’s system or in the PL.
He played wide left in pre season Durand and has also done so in competitive matches
Balogun was given a chance wide left against Sunderland and at 20 he is the same age as Eddie would have been “a couple of years ago”, so we’ll see what happens with him
Can you build a team around him? Not at arsenal, in someone like Vlahovic who, as much as he is compared to Haaland is more of a box player, and so too is Eddie. It’s not a matter of one or the other but if Eddie doesn’t want to fight for a spot then so be it.
He has skill and at a certain club he will scores many goals I am convinced, but at our level – or the level we are wanting, you have to put away the chances and Eddie still lacks that killer instinct top players desire to obtain. Maybe he suffers from confidence issues. Short, average build against the beast of EPL defenders like VVD or Silva…
It’s the same reason Auba hasn’t been affective and gone missing. He should have another 4 goals to his name but for the simple misses, lack of self belief is a motherf*&k@r if you are not scoring.
But my advise would be for Eddie is to stick around, learn and develop and help the club and get us into the CL and spent a season with us in European.
Then with that experience, and more game time via more matches for us, make a decision to if you want out.
Truth is, imo he knows no one will come for him (or options limited) if he signs knowing he will want to go eventually.
Best advise is sign a 2 Yr deal. He is young, focus on developing ans scoring when the chances come.
I agree with you. I don’t see him being successful in the PL. He needs to find another league where he can wait around in front of the goal and wait for the ball. Some managers may allow him to do that.
I’m sticking by Eddie and read nothing here to change that
Much maligned is Eddie.Even Ian Wright got it wrong when he suggested that he did not create space for himself, when he ran more off the ball than either Saka and Martnelli against Forest..It’s so easy to apportion blame from the comfort of an armchair, but when you analyse what actually occurred during the game ,you begin to see a different story.I wish Eddie very well and I suspect his departure may yet come back to haunt us to some degree in the future.
He had 4 chances and a couple off target, that could or should have won us the game.
Our 2nd player with shots at goal was holding who had 2 and one hit the corner flag.
Nketiah being off form lost us that game IMHO
And how many “chances” did Saka or Martinelli create.Basically I think you are completely wrong to suggest that Eddie cost us the game.We were very poor in midfield and IMHO that is where we lost the game.
Nketia did not cost us the game, it was a combined efforts of the team that didn’t show up at all.
A team in a calibre of Arsenal should produce over 15 attempts on goal against Nothingham forest.
We’re so used to our pact wingers, but unfortunately, they didn’t show up at all. Ordegard was nowhere to be found. So all attention was on Lonkoga and our defense.
Eddie Nketiah unfortunately doesn’t process the mongrel, arrogance, killer instincts or drive that it takes to be at an elite level. Marcello Bielsa saw that at Leeds United while Nketiah was there on loan. Bielsa copped a fair bit of criticism from Arsenal supporters over that. Obviously Bielsa saw something we didn’t in the lad. Some people will rave on that Nketiah scored 16 goals for England’s Under 21’s, breaking Alan Shearer’s record. Good on him. But he hasn’t progressed further from there. No one can deny he hasn’t been given chances. I’ve never liked his body language. It’s as though he doesn’t want to be out there. Who knows, Patrick Vieira may be the manager to give him guidance and get more out of the lad. But it was Nketiah who spat the dummy out at Leeds, and Arteta sympathised and bought him back. And back then he should have been loaned back out to another club. To me, he has a real pissed attitude. And that could also be down to bad player management
NKETIAH has the natural disadvantage that almost all players have who are skinny and far from physically imposing. It is a well worn but essentially true adage that says a good big ‘un will always beat a good little ‘un!
As a striker you definitely need strength and power, plus being tall and well made is another bonus.
Remember Rooney when aged only 16 was, physically speaking, a man in a boys age. Rooney, as we all know was a special talent and he also had intense desire and energy .
But most of all, he had the strength- the very quality Eddie definitely lacks – to compete on equal terms with powerful and beefy men. Eddie is now 22, going on 17 physically, or Rooney in reverse!
LACA IS NO TALLER THAN NKETIAH BUT HE HAS BULK AND MUSCLES ENOUGH TO HOLD OFF POWERFUL OPPONENTS. Eddie does not!
It must be recognised that Nketiah, if he stays til summer, is no more than simply a stop gap, as he has always been, and there is no way a player with his limited effectiveness can ever hope to be proper Arsenal level quality. To pretend that he is , is to fool youself!
Summed up nicely Jon – the only reason that MA would keep him, is if all our supposed deals for top forwards is fruitless.
If he sold him now and didn’t get a replacement, it would be another AMN situation.
I feel you are warming to him Jon
In an anti Eddie post the other day you were far more scathing about his all round game and stating that at 22 he was past it, today it is just that he is not strong enough
You also wanted him out this minute, not accepting that he might stay as much needed cover until the summer so we might be moving in the right direction
Meanwhile consider me as fooled please
By the way, as I think Grandad said earlier he didn’t play well against Forest but didn’t single handedly lose us the game, no more than Marti did when he missed that far easier chance against City
He may have the talent but he has not demonstrated the attitude, intelligence or work ethic required to play for Arteta. He is a one trick pony. He hangs around in front of the goal and waits for the ball. He doesn’t defend or chase lost balls. He is not a complete player and has not shown he wants to be.
I dont see Nketiah at Arsenal next season. Not good enough.
Two words in response to the question in the title of the article…….. MANY TIMES !