Should Nketiah switch to Ghana just to play in a World Cup Finals?

There’s debate if Eddie Nketiah warrants 100,000 thousand pound a week, yet alone if he should be capped by England.

In truth our striker isn’t in the conversation to be in the Three Lions squad that goes to the World Cup in November, yet he may have found a way to make the trip to Qatar.

Born and raised in UK, the 23-year-old has previous rejected overtures from Ghana to represent them at international level.

Yet with the Black Stars qualified for the winter tournament, they now believe the player has changed his mind.

It won’t be the first time the Gunner has changed his thought process.

He rejected offers to extend his contract at Arsenal, citing playing time was his sole motivation.

Suddenly there are 100,000 reasons to contradict that claim.

This month he could be looking at a serious pay rise and the opportunity to play at FIFA’s greatest event.

His advisors deserve an increase in pay themselves for that.

Is the player being smart though, or is he showing a lack of faith in his own ability?

It takes a certain mindset to acknowledge your positives and weaknesses.

Eddie can represent Ghana through his family background, and it would be wrong either way to judge his pride in those roots.

What we do know is he showed zero inclination to play for them, a proud owner of the England under 21 goal scoring record.

So, is this love for the flag or realisation it’s the only way he will play at a World Cup?

I’m not sure that’s why the rule of being able to change your allegiance exists?

Does Eddie feel Ghanian? Does he feel part of that culture?

Or is this a chance to play in a competition he won’t ever play in if he chooses England?

Which could be an honest assessment. He’s not going to now from November jump ahead of Kane, Abraham, Watkins, Ings, Lewin, etc in the pecking order.

He’s lacks the footballing brain to be a threat to anyone who plays out wide.

He’s a poacher, a fox in the box. In 2022 you need to be so much more and other aspects of his game are limited.

He’s showing self-awareness by admitting he’s more likely to get in Ghana’s XI then England’s.

You can’t be wrong for telling the truth, but it shows a lack of mentality at the same time.

It’s a reflection on our academy that we produce a player without that ambition to believe they belong at the highest level.

The best sports men and women believe they are the very best. It might not be true but that’s the mindset they need to win things.

Eddie has grown up at a club who settle for mediocrity and who don’t try to be the best they can be.

Naturally that’s how he thinks.

That’s how I summarise Eddie, he plays like he’s a competition winner, grateful to be on the pitch.

He doesn’t play with the bravery where he demands the ball and tries to do anything original.

His contribution as a sub is often just to run in to someone and hope for a foul.

He seemed intent on moving elsewhere and proving the likes of me wrong.

Instead, he will play the odd cup game, group stages of the Europa and not challenge himself.

100,000 pounds to sit on the bench and be fast tracked to the World Cup.

He reflects his generation. He’s grown up in an era where you get things instantly, don’t have to wait.

Why work hard to improve and become good enough to play for the country you live in when you can go to a World Cup this year?

Why wait a few years to develop when you can have it all now?

His agent is doing a good job.

He’s getting his client the maximum rewards in the quickest route possible.

Only Eddie knows if he’s thinking with his head or heart.

Dan Smith

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17 Comments

  1. There are too many experienced English CFs ahead of him, so he’d most likely never get a chance to be England’s main CF

    Ghana national football team don’t have many CFs playing in EPL, La Liga and Lega Serie A, so he has a much bigger chance to be their main front man

  2. I believe Eddie needs to reakise that he is never going to be a top striker in the mould of Henry or Kane and, then, decide what he wants to do with his career.
    To offer him a reported £100,000 a week may be a ploy by MA to ensure that the player doesn’t leave for nothing, because, as sure as eggs are eggs, he is not worth that ridiculous amount of money.

    I, personally, see so much more promise from Balogun and as we have already given him a new contract, one has to ask where are all these players going to fit in?
    Especially as we are, so the rumours go, looking at established top strikers who will cost a minimum of £50,000,000 plus.

    As for what country he will represent, if England are looking at Eddie to be their striker in the future, I am not overly confident regarding the success of the team.

    1. Very sensible analysis indeed.

      Your second paragraph is a pity cos the club will find it almost impossible to find a buyer willing to pay him £100k p/w if that’s Edu’s plan.

      The third paragraph really caught me. If we still have Balogun who has so far shown to have a higher ceiling than Nketiah, then why not let Nketiah leave for free and let Balogun take his place? I really don’t know what Edu is being paid for aside from identifying players of which there are many whom have not even been a success – Willian, Cedric, Mari, Rúnnarson, Lokonga and Tavares. That’s about 50% success rate in incoming transfers

  3. If I was him, I will choose:

    1. the £100k p/w on offer at Arsenal. Football is about money these days, let’s not pretend

    2. to play for Ghana. He may just never get into the English national team. No point following the footsteps of Agbonlahor

    1. My only suspicion is that the club just might lose out again on the top strikers linked with us at the moment and, in reality, will give Nketiah the role – thus justifying the £100,000 a week, but not addressing our need for a proven top forward… which, of course, Balogun isn’t either.

      1. Let’s not pretend not to know that TOP STRIKERS DO NOT WANT TO COME TO ARSENAL. We will only have a chance of getting a top striker if we’re willing to PAY OVER THE ODDS (bribery) which has not served us we’ll in the past. Man Utd has been doing so for years, the difference being that we don’t have their resources. Athletico Madrid were only willing to increase Party’s wages from £45k to £90k p/w. We offered him £250k p/w. That’s the reason he was willing to leave the champions league regulars to join Europa League regulars like us and we will see more of the same this window. Our top four disappointment will surely come back to bite us.

  4. Dan Smith, you seem to hate Eddie to the last. But those who extended his contract saw what you did not see. Tell me ,which player wouldn’t jump to the opportunity of playing in the world cup. You talked as if he does not deserve 100k per week unknowingly be-littling those that made the decision to extend his contract. Well people like yu are out there, they allow emotions to becloud their sense of reasoning. Keep your hatred with you and always engage your brain before you talk about people.

      1. Hello Dan, I think it is Logical that Edu offers Nketia 100k, if you want to get him from the market you will be paying about 20million because of his age and British background. If he has been retained to be the second or third striker and it cost us nothin then that not bad.

  5. If it’s true about 100k a week, that’s not only foolish, but pure stupidity.

    Saka is twice the player Nketiah is, so his new wages should be well over 100k now.

    Not only him, but Martinelli, ESR are better by far as well.

    Stupid to pay a bench player like Nketiah 100k, because how many better players make less than him every week?

    Edit on the bench isn’t a recipe for us to get top 4. Great U-23 player, but hasn’t or can’t deliver on this level. Should have moved on instead.

  6. Sadio Mane is reportedly on 100k/week at Liverpool while we have just reportedly renewed Nketiah for those same wages. Arsenal are one sort of a special club in world football.

  7. I must confess it never occurred to me that it was the fault of the Arsenal academy. It really didn’t
    It could be that EN isn’t wired that way. Not all of us are terriers but he looks to be switched on financially

  8. “The best sportsmen and women believe they are the very best” that sentence reminded me of Nicholas Bentdner and A. Gyan

  9. Who cares .. he’s not going to get in to the England squad and I don’t know enough about Ghana’s squad beyond a couple of epl players inc our own … the question is why is he in the Arsenal squad … should have sold him in the last window and kept aube .. but that’s gone .. we need 2 quality attackers this window to have any hope of holding on to 5th let alone progressing

  10. Far to early to claim he’ll never play a word cup for England. He’s just turned 23 a couple of weeks ago.

    Look at Vardy, Giroud or Ian Wright.
    Even Drogba was playing in French L2 when he was 23….

    It all depends on his mindset. If he believes in himself and works hard to improve his game who knows what level he’ll be able to reach.

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