Mikel Arteta has admitted that he isn’t happy that he hasn’t been able to Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah.
The 21 year-old has only been selected to start three Premier League matches this term, with around two-thirds of the campaign completed, in comparison to starting seven last season, despite only returning to the club in January.
Nketiah is currently on course to play less minutes in his first full season in the first-team squad than he did in around half the time last term, and you could understandably have questions as to why.
You have even more questions if the manager’s following comments ring true, with Arteta claiming that our youngster has done everything that has been asked of him and remained professional throughout.
MA said ahead of the Burnley clash this weekend (via Arsenal.com): “Well, when we’re talking about management, this is one of the hazards to leave someone like Eddie out of the squad, but at the moment everybody has been fit and we have so many options upfront. But it hurts as well because of how Eddie behaves and trains every day and because he’s a player from our academy, but he will have his chance.
“He needs to be patient and he’s showing no signs of lacking attitude or anything like that, it’s the complete opposite. He’s a joy to work with and he deserves minutes and if he doesn’t get it, it’s just my fault.
“Yeah, there is because he needs to play and we’ve been wanting to use him a little bit more on some occasions and we didn’t. To be fair, when he’s played, he’s played well, but at his age and for what he’s done the last two or three seasons, he needs more minutes. It’s something we have to talk about openly and make the right decision.”
Nketiah hasn’t really done much when coming off the bench in the PL this term, notching just one goal in his 14 league outings this term, but his time on the pitch has been limited.
I’m not sure why Eddie was allowed to play wider last season, but this season he has solely been played down the middle if there isn’t enough minutes to go around centrally, especially as some of his better matches were from playing wide in my opinion.
Nketiah certainly appears to have been mismanaged this term, and his treatment isn’t likely to help us in our bid to keep Folarin Balogun either, who is out of contract come the summer.
Has Nketiah done enough to warrant more starts? Is it Arteta’s fault for not providing enough minutes to build some level of form?
Patrick
Nketiah mismanaged? Ridiculous suggestion.
He’s just not as good as the players currently in front of him.
I think its not true what you have said. The guy is good and deserves to play to add value to the team. For me if he was given the chance like the other lads, he would have done better and improved.
This kind of Arteta’s trend of not giving some players a chance is now clopping to Martinely.
I suggest if Arteta thinks he can not use Nkethia, just sell the boy or put him on loan at least he work on his talent than he get destroyed. I think its bad what Arteta is doing to this lad.
I think you just sympathize with him. he is not capable of handling strong defenders in epl
Nketia is a good option to play 2nd fiddle to auba. I think he is a simular level to lacca maybe slightly behind.
I think if we keel florian we should loan nketia and sell lacca. We then have martinelli, auba and florian in strike and pepe an also play there is needs be .
I think we should send Nkethia on loan, sell Lacca and retain Balogun considering his current form and age. Gunners 4 Life!
Good article until the last two paragraphs. Let’s blame Arteta because it’s raining today as well.
Of course it’s got nothing to do with the player just not being good enough to get games! He has had chances but he has been poor. And unlike Pepe or Willian, who we at least know CAN play at this level, Nketia has never been successful at the top level.
now this is honest observation. Nketiah never used his chances when called upon
At best this guy plays league cup, Europa league group or weak teams in the FA cup. Not anywhere Aubamayang Lacazette or Martinelli for that matter. Loan or sell. Definitely not keep. Can you just imagine the fallout if Nketia played in front of the 3 I mentioned!
Nketiah should go to loan I don’t know why he’s wasting himself
Said it righr; lack of managment.
We bring back Nelson as he immulates his biy Sancho tagged as next big thing in a 4 months spell in Germany…
But we bring Pepe and no more Nelson, playing with U23 today over a year and half later..
Instead to leave him there, as Rowe as well then…
Both back and waisted. Rowe was benched mire than Nelson, about to make a move out.
So, we added Willian to totally burrying Nelson with Pepe.
Instead to sell Laca big cash a year and half, and top of season’. We keep him because he is back in team end of season. doing welll.
It is flip flops guessing and not drcision taken.’.
If Laca gone, Nketiah does get more play last and this season.
Without gendouzi and torreira, Niles get chance to fulfill and take his spot in middle.
Ozil out all tjat time but Rowe, only player in this position is not played, Willian, Ceballos…It took everyone.to be not available for Rowe to be played.!
Transition frim academy to team is mismanaged totally; reflects overall team management and why we 10th!
Arteta is learning, or he wouldnt wait injuries to play youngsters. Saka came into team same way…
Ceballos for what? To bench Rowe, stop academy players being taught how yo play great Arsenal football?
As soon as they in, our style of play of lining and quick football is in motion..
Nketiah needs to play games to see if he develops into a ST we need. He should have gone with Willock, AMN, and Saliba to be honest on loan.
We can’t afford to offer him valuable minutes to learn on the job while we are desperate to climb the table. We need attacks who produce, not a player trying to find his footing. He has had many many opportunities, yet has repeatedly failed to impress.
I can’t believe this, Arsenal standard has really dropped. Even some of the players ahead him are still not good enough to win championship
Very simple, Eddie is not even close to the level he should be to be at Arsenal.
No-one is saying he doesn’t try hard or isn’t a fantastic u23 player. He just isn’t good enough, if we don’t sell now we are lining up the deadwood of the future.
let him go on loan to improve himself
Nketiah is simply not good enough. He has had plenty of opportunities to show what he can do. Running around is simply not adequate for a striker!
SURELY, IN CONTRAST TO THIS ARTICLES SILLY STATEMENT, OUR CLUB MANAGERS JOB IS TO MANAGE THE CLUB! Above and before managing any one player!
OR AM I WRONG AND IF SO THEN DO EXPLAIN WHY!
Actually Jon, the article is based on what Mikel Arteta HIMSELF said about his own perceived failure with regards to the player.
Not sure why your reacting so beligerently to this being reported on JA, perhaps you can explain why?
HAPPY TO DO SO Ken! I like truthful articles and truthful headlines and both are in short supply with this writer. He constantly writes articles that hype, distort, say nothing at all of import – witness his recent Ozil missing a sitter article in Turkey, which I and others slated as nonsense.
I will not and do not apologise for constantly standing up for accuracy in language and for truth, not hype, lies, deliberate half truths and evasions. I am straight to the point in my private life , as I am on here.
And KEN, if a fansite is not honest and up front but seeks to sensationalise, as so many articles do, then it is the lesser for that. That is my opinion Ken to which I am entitled and will continue being so.
Arteta’a responses do raise some questions about his ability to properly manage a squad with so many diverse needs and issues…so far this season, which should have been a “transitional” year, we’ve learned nothing whatsoever about either Eddie or Balu…now I don’t think Eddie has what it takes to lead the line at this level, but if Arteta was planning to play some head games with Balu and his agent, rightly or wrongly, why not give Eddie a few more chances to up his market valuation so that we could have more in the coffers moving forward…interesting though that both Eddie and Balu are represented by the same agency…makes me wonder how that has impacted this whole poorly mismanaged situation
I think arteta needs to learn how to nurture raw talents that’s one thing, he has a poor man management, if arteta was Emery he wouldn’t have given Saka a chance just like he’s doing with some of our young players, I remembered how van persie, walcolt, song, fabregas, wilshere, ramsey, bellerin where brought into the fold, if he can’t give them some playing time then we should consider loaning them out to improve themselves and to get first team expirence, we still have more of saka like players in our club