Eddie Nketiah has responded to the criticisms Arsenal received after they handed him their number 14 shirt.
The striker was expected to leave the club at the end of this month after running down his deal at the Emirates.
However, Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay on a new long-term deal at the club.
The former England Under-21 record goal-scorer has now penned a new five year deal, and the club changed his squad number to 14.
Considering that Thierry Henry made history with that shirt and Nketiah has never been a prolific attacker for the club, some fans were unimpressed by the decision to hand him the number.
But he has defended himself. He tells The Telegraph: ‘When you get a run of eight games in the first team, you get that database and platform to show everything you can do.
Adding: ‘People are always going to say things, but I know what I can do. The people that have played with me, played against me, the coaches that have worked with me, I know how they feel about me.
‘Every team needs a squad to compete. The club is always looking for ways to strengthen. They have extended my deal and they have done so for a reason.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Nketiah showed his potential in the last few games of last season, and we can see that he can do a job when he gets the chance to do one.
Now that he has the shirt number, what he needs to do now is to focus on developing his game and scoring more than enough goals next season.
If he gets a few goals in, he would shut the mouths of his critics for good.
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