North London is still ringing on Eddie Nketiah’s heroics! The 18-year-old Arsenal academy product who came off the bench to save the day for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup has attracted a lot of attention of late. Nketiah made a goal-saving interception just 15 seconds are coming on, and then scored home the winner in the extra time to hand Arsenal a sensational win over Norwich as the Gunners march onto the next round.
His current contract with the club expires at the end of next season. And as English newspaper Sun understands Arsenal will reward his heroics with a new contract worth £15,000 a week. But is he worth the hype?
Shortly after his splendid performance against Norwich, the English fanbase already started comparing him to the legendary Arsenal striker Thierry Henry amongst many others.
Over the years, we have seen a number of promising careers completely destroyed by the overestimation of fans and media alike. As is the case for this talented youngster from Arsenal academy, Nketiah needs to overcome the high expectations the club’s fans will have, following his incredible performance in midweek.
However, there are a few reasons he might actually be worth the hype. First and foremost, unlike many other young players, Nketiah has substantial reasons to prove others wrong regarding his footballing abilities.
According to an article by Pain in the Arsenal, the youngster was snubbed by the Chelsea academy due to his lack of ‘size’, meaning he’ll be eager to prove them wrong by becoming a key figure in the starting lineup for their league rivals.
As for his footballing abilities, Nketiah’s eagerness to score is definitely what sets him apart from other players. While he may not have the same physical trait as Romelu Lukaku or Olivier Giroud, his clever movements often aids him in this regard. The term ‘fox in the box’ seems appropriate for his style of play. Nketiah also offers some sensational ball-carrying abilities, even in tight spaces – a trait very few strikers seem to have nowadays.
Put simply, Eddie Nketiah surely bags a lot of promise for the future, and it’s enthralling for Arsene Wenger to see so many youngsters breaking out from the Arsenal youth academy of late, which bodes well for their future. While it may be too early to judge him solely by his performance against Norwich or in the youth divisions, there’s no doubt that Nketiah has the potential to become the next big thing in English football.
