Former Arsenal man Paul Merson is unconvinced that Eddie Nketiah can replace Gabriel Jesus and insists the Englishman would struggle to play for the worst Premier League team.
Nketiah had been in great form towards the end of last season, which earned him a contract extension at the Emirates for another five seasons.
However, the Gunners signed Jesus in the summer, and Nketiah spent the majority of the first half of this season on the bench.
Jesus was injured at the World Cup and could now be out for around three months, which has opened the door for Nketiah to play often, and the striker will want to prove his doubters wrong, but Merson expects him to flop.
He writes in The Daily Star:
‘It’s hard because even though he doesn’t score an awful lot of goals, he is still so effective. If he’s out for three months, I’d be shocked if they got in the top four.
‘Without being horrible, what Premier League team does Eddie Nketiah get in? Wolves are bottom for instance, they’re desperate for a goal and they wouldn’t go and get him.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Nketiah could have been better this season, and Jesus was our attack’s engine room, making him hard to replace.
However, with all the scepticism, we still hope Nketiah will step up and score the goals we need to maintain our spot at the top of the league table.
There is a huge difference between hope and expectation
@SueP. You are not communicating
I can hope that EN will fill GJ’s shoes but I’m not expecting him to. However, I’d be thrilled to be proved wrong
I was referring to AdMartin’s last paragraph by the way. I’ll try to do better in future