In a recent tweet, renowned journalist Graeme Bailey revealed that West Ham United are among the clubs hoping to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah this summer. It is believed that the Hammers would face competition from Crystal Palace and Bournemouth in the race to land the English forward in the upcoming transfer window.
Nketiah’s Important Role In North London This Season
The 24-year-old has caught the eye at times with his performances for the North London club during this campaign. However, he has failed to earn a regular starting spot in Mikel Arteta’s first team.
Nketiah has netted six goals and picked up five assists in 33 matches for the Gunners this season across all competitions. The English attacker has seen most of his appearances come as a substitute which explains why he is only averaging 1.5 shots, 0.4 key passes and 0.3 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. Nketiah has even been tidy with his ball distribution after completing 80.7% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
His current deal at Arsenal will run out in the summer of 2027 which could make it difficult for West Ham to sign him on a cut-price deal later this year.
Is Nketiah A Good Fit For West Ham United?
Nketiah excels at creating some space for himself to get a few strikes in at goal. He can be a streaky goal-scorer in the final third but needs to find a way to be more consistent with his performances in top-flight football.
Nketiah has often found himself behind Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard in Mikel Arteta’s pecking order. Hence, he might fancy a move to a club like West Ham where he would have a better chance of earning regular first-team starts in the coming seasons.
We can expect Nketiah to inject more firepower into West Ham boss David Moyes’ attack. He is good enough to rival Michail Antonio for a regular starting spot at the East London club. The English forward has got some experience in Premier League football and won’t take much time to settle into life at the London Stadium. Thus, he would be a good fit for West Ham United’s needs in this upcoming transfer window.
