Arsenal’s young striker Eddie Nketiah is scoring goals for fun for the England U21s with another 2 against Albania last night makes it an incredible 16 goals in just 12 starts for the Young Lions, breaking Alan Shearer’s long held record easily.
But he is very rarely a starter for Arsenal, with 7 of his 8 appearances in the League this season coming from the bench, he has only managed one goal so far. In the Europa League he has scored once in 3 starts, and once from 2 starts in the League Cup.
But the question remains whether he can score regularly against Premier League sides, but surely he needs to get a regular run as a starter in side so we can find out for ourselves.
He is obviously oozing with confidence with the England team, and he has a surprising fan in Liverpool’s ex-hitman Michael Owen bigging him up last night. After watching Eddie bounce back from missing a penalty then go on to score 2 goals, Owen told BTSport: “He’s very good,”
“He’s got a real smell for it, hasn’t he? He knows where the ball’s going to drop. I like his movement. I like his hunger to score goals.
“Some players are confidence players. If you miss a penalty and you’re a confidence player, you go missing all game. If you’ve just got pure self-belief, it just shrugs off you and you’re just onto the next one.
“With that type of attitude, with the way he plays, he’s just going to be a goal machine all his career. The key for him is obviously trying to get consistently into that Arsenal team, and then all his horizons are open.”
Now I know we don’t always like Michael Owen, but when you consider that our star-studded current front line have not scored a goal from open play for the last 4 games, perhaps Arteta should be aware that Nketiah is in a confident mood and should now get a regular run as an actual starter, rather than a supersub. Surely he’s got to be a better Number 9 than Willian!
I am not a fan of his but you are right he should be given a run of games perhaps he might be the solution to our attacking problem.
While not as talented as Martinelli, at least cares and give his all on the pitch.
I think Eddie is a perfect example of someone who just isn’t cut out for the top leagues but is still very talented.
He looks/looked amazing everytime he plays for the U/21s and when he was player for the Arsenal junior teams….but the moment he plays for the first team there just seems to be something missing.
Take nothing away from his work rate but he doesn’t seem to be able to crack it at the top level. Not everyone can make it.
No…because we have Aubameyang!
As far as I am concerned there is not one player at Arsenal nor indeed any other Club who should be guaranteed a start every week and that includes Auba , Laca and Willian who individually and collectively have been poor so far this season.Nketiah is a talented young player who has proved to be highly successful when judged with his peer group.The step up to being a regular in the EP L is considerable, and while EN has a way to go , he is developing into a more rounded player and in my view he will make it at a higher level.In the not too distant future I would hope Arteta would consider fielding a front three of Martinelli, Nketiah and Saka in Europa Cup matches.The prospect of seeing these three together is something which this old man would look forward to .
Agree Grandad, Nketiah has obvious ability and is still young. I think one thing that is obvious is, he will need a system to suit him to get the best out of him. He isn’t physically strong enough to be a lone no9 and he is obviously a finisher but unless the style of play suits his, he would be anonymous in many games. I do think at the moment he is a player to bring on and not to start, in the prem at least.
My personal view is that it is now very close call between LACA and yong Eddie as first choice for central striker. I have never thought Auba is bested suited to play centrally. Laca has better physical presence but lacks clinical finishing; Nketiah is a better close finisher but still lacks polish in his all round game and is a lightweight physically.
But in potentai, to improve, I see them moving in opposite directions, so yes, right NOW, it is a close call. But in a years time it will be bye bye LACA, theres your shirt Eddie!
If we hold off a year it won’t be here is your shirt Eddie, it will here is is your shirt Nik.
Just watch this lad Moller fly, 6’4 already but great with his feet.
OT.. My man Kolasinac has covid now…
“He annoyed me terribly, he is very complicated to manage.
He sometimes has some behaviours within a group that are very, very hard, but somehow, that’s what he is: big.
He doesn’t let go, he is a fighter. He has an oversized ego, but he certainly needs it.”
“I think he needs to be in the spotlight, to be a leader,” he said. “He needs to be a captain or vice-captain, and he will try to make the most of it.
Because that’s the way he is. And that means that his teammates have to accept him the way he is, because he’s a pain on a daily basis.
He’s very boring on a daily basis, but on the other hand, he’s talented.”
Former Lorient coach on Douzi.
I think we all know already that Douzi has bags of potentials, and yes we all understand his attitude problem, but I still think it could be channeled the right way.
Someone needs to sit down with this boy and advise him.
Look, set him up with Bendtner, Anelka, Balotelli FFS.. Just have one of these big ego players sit with him and advise him really, because if he doesn’t channel his ego well. He might end up poorly. I also believes what he needs is more responsibility.
He showed that under Emery a lot, that he could take on certain responsibilities.
I wish to see him succeed.
I’m a fan of Douzi
For now I just want to see Aubameyang played through the middle and flanked by Saka and Pepe.
That is the balanced front 3 for me.
Nketiah will take that Central spot permanently in the next 2-3 years time
Eddie is just a goal scorer… a fox in the box…and hardly makes a contribution elsewhere on the pitch. If Arsenal can play to that sort of forward as a partner to a more industrious Martinelli (or another) then I’m sure he’d be an asset.
Not having seen his U21 games I can’t judge him vis-à-vis Premier League where the defenders are not boys. It doesn’t look as though he’s going to get much taller so having another shorter ex international striker heaping praise on him is encouraging.
He may yet be our own Michael Owen.
We could make a list of the younger players knocking on the door and it would be very impressive.
With kronkie as our owner, we have to blood these young players in the hope they will become the stars we have invested so much money in, as we will not be able to invest in ready made stars…at least not to the extent of having a complete team of super stars.
This is why the FA cup and the Europa League are just the competitions we should be looking for them to show their talents in.
Surely, MA’s first goal is to finish as high as he can in the league, hopefully the top four…Nketiah has just not shown that edge needed to be a first team regular in my opinion.
Compare him to the Saka, Martinelli effect and it needs more time- also, we are seeing both Aubameyang and Laca struggling and they are both seasoned and successful professional players.
The system MA has been forced to play (concentrating on our long time defensive issue) does not help the situation either and to put him in under this scenario as the answer to our goalscoring drought is wrong.
Let’s keep using him from the bench and give him the time to fulfill his full potential…perhaps next season!!!!
Only a novice will play Nketia as CF in the top tier league like EPL. The young boy is still far away from being a top league starter.
He is Better than LAcazette right now
He’s not
All I see him he do is run into a defender and dive to ground
Lacca at least works hard
Absolutely … if bottom half of the table football is our goal
I don’t like the 3 center backs,
I prefer extra man in midfield so why not have both in a 3-5-2 system…
Leno
Mustafi gab Tierney
Amn Partey xakai saka
Cabbello
Peppe. Auba
Personally I don’t think Laca or Nketiah are good enough. Laca is so off form that of course give Eddie a go, but he’s still not at the right level. We play Pepe wrongly so may as well play him through the middle. Willian should play in more of a Santi role, at his age he can create goals, he’s too weak to fly down the wing. With Saka and Bellerin as wingbacks we don’t need Willian wide. We are such rubbish at times why not give Balogan a game up front, he can’t do worse than Lacazette.
Lol, it looks like we both watch different Nkeitia, he is not a top flight footballer ffs, lacks the talent to be a striker. But y’all wanna replace Laca with him, you definitely do not know what laca does for the team and I blame him, he should revolt against the stupid workload Arteta is making him do.