Arsenal had a horrid time in their opening two games against Brentford and Chelsea. They were outplayed in every department in both the games and Mikel Arteta had to rely on youth upfront as Aubameyang and Lacazette were both unfit to start. Martinelli, Balogun and Bukayo Saka all had subpar performances. While Arteta will be hoping he can field a more experienced team against Manchester City, one of the academy graduates looks to secure a permanent move away from the Emirates.
According to Sky, Crystal Palace are very much interested in the services of Eddie Nketiah as newly appointed Palace manager Patrick Vieira has been a long admirer of the 22-year-old striker.
Nketiah’s Time At Arsenal
Nketiah burst onto the scene scoring twice as a sub on his debut but has not managed to cement his spot in the Arsenal first-team yet. The English forward is into his final year of contract at Arsenal. Currently injured, Nketiah will be hoping for a change in his career as he should look forward to playing week in week out to improve himself. He did lead the line for Arsenal during some part of last season when Lacazette was injured. However, he was unable to provide any solution to the uncertain state of Arsenal’s attack.
Why The Gunners Would Be Intrigued
Arsenal’s summer started with a clear message of clearing out the deadwood. However, they have failed miserably to offload fringe players. William Saliba and Matteo Guendouzi both left on loan, while Willian, Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac are still at the club. Arteta will look to trim his squad as the club do not have any European Competition to worry about.
Being unable to move on with the bit-part players, Arsenal sold Joe Willock, an academy graduate, to Newcastle United for a hefty fee. They will look to do similar business with Eddie Nketiah, who has not lived up to his potential as of yet.
How Nketiah Might Fit At Palace
Crystal Palace had a better transfer window relatively to Arsenal and have put faith in youth releasing some of their senior players. They have Benteke and Mateta at the club to lead their line. Nketiah will provide a different outlet for the Eagles with his dribbling and positional sense.
However, there is a gap in Palace’s valuation of the striker and Arsenal’s asking price of around £20m and unless a solution is found we might find the youngster plying his trade under Arteta next season too.
