Arteta must give Nketiah his chance - or Arsenal will lose him
Robin Bairner
- 15 Nov 2021 18:21 GMT
- 3 min read
If Arsenal really want to retain Eddie Nketiah beyond the end of his current contract, it is time for head coach Mikel Arteta to step up and give him the chance he merits.
Arteta has spoken of Nketiah’s quality before and has explained that he is a player he hopes stays at the Emirates Stadium.
The former Leeds loanee, though, has been restricted to two League Cup appearances this season, striking in home victories over AFC Wimbledon and Leeds.
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Nketiah has done his part when given a chance to impress, now it is time for Arteta hold up his end of the bargain by giving a player he has previously praised and opportunity to impress at a higher level.
Sky Sports reports that the Gunners are in real danger of losing the 22-year-old talent for nothing next summer, when his contract expires. Indeed, he will not remain with the club unless he is given genuine first-team opportunities.
Arteta: Nketiah deserves reward
Whatever you throw at him, he wants more, and demands more of himself
- Mikel Arteta on Eddie NketiahSpeaking in October after the Leeds League Cup clash, Arteta said of Nketiah: “I have no doubts about what he can offer. Whatever you throw at him, he wants more, and demands more of himself, and he's another one that I am delighted to see the performance and for him to score the goal and help the team, because he totally deserves it.
“But there's a lot of players who play in that position, and with a personal situation with his contract running down, but I try to leave that aside and try to reward him because he deserves it.”
If Arteta truly believes this, it is time Nketiah got his chance in the first team. The young attacker has come through the club’s academy, where he has played since 2015 and will surely show more commitment to the Gunners than other senior professionals whose deals are running down.
Indeed, Arsenal are facing something of a crisis in confidence in their academy under Arteta, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles publicly frustrated with his lack of playing time and Folarin Balogun reportedly ready to push to leave too.
Using Nketiah would not just send out a message to the young attacker that Arteta is ready to use the former England Under-21 hitman, but also those other players in the club’s academy who are beginning to feel disillusioned by life at the club.
