Eddie Nketiah's new Arsenal contract is a sign of desperation over faith

18 Jun 2022 13:10 BST
4 min read

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah — © ProShots

Eddie Nketiah has signed a new five-year contract at Arsenal, with the club making the deal public on Saturday.

The news signals a remarkable turnaround to his fortunes at the Emirates Stadium, where he appeared on the way out barely three months ago. Instead, he is set to be with the Gunners until 2027, having been handed the club's famous No.14 shirt, once worn by Thierry Henry.

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The 23-year-old exploded in the second half of last season, with his form enough to press Mikel Arteta into giving him a new deal.

“I’m delighted Eddie is staying with us,” the manager said. “He represents what we are all about and all the values of the club. We are very happy that he has extended his contract and now we have to get to work and continue to develop the great talent and person that we have in him.”

However, the decision to hand Nketiah a new contract is perhaps more of a sign of the frustrations Arsenal have endured in securing an elite striker rather than a true belief in his credentials.

The academy graduate scored five goals in 21 Premier League games, although 13 of those were off the bench, and Arsenal's renewal of his contract is a symptom of another failure in the transfer market for the club.

Is Nketiah the answer to Arsenal's goalscoring woes?

The Gunners have been struggling for a striker to lead the line ever since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's form fell off a cliff after signing a new contract in 2020.

The Gabonese forward eventually left for Barcelona in January after falling out of favour with boss Mikel Arteta and Arsenal chose not to replace him, instead sticking with Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette as their striking options.

Lacazette departed Arsenal this summer following the expiry of his contract, leaving Nketiah as the only senior striker at the club, making a renewal of the Englishman more of a necessity than anything else.

Eddie Nketiah will become Arsenal's new number 14 when he signs his long-term contract shortly!

👕 Thierry Henry (1999-2007)
👕 Theo Walcott (2008-2018)
👕 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2018-2022)
👕 Eddie Nketiah (2022-)#Nketiah #Arsenal #AFC pic.twitter.com/SlEH5fR0rz
— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) June 17, 2022

Arsenal have failed to land a number of their key striker targets, from Dusan Vlahovic in January to Victor Osimhen, whom the club are unwilling to match Napoli's asking price for.

Gabriel Jesus is set to arrive from Manchester City, although he may not be the consistent goalscorer they need, while the imminent signing of Fabio Vieira would help create quality chances but not necessarily score them.

Another window with a failed pursuit of an elite striker would be devastating for Arsenal and throw huge pressure on Nketiah as well as Arteta to prove they are capable of leading the club to the top four next season.

Although Nketiah has just experienced his most productive and prominent season yet, with just 13 league goals in his entire career he has yet to prove his capabilities as a top level striker.

While Arteta has been keen to blood in homegrown talent and give chances to his young stars, Nketiah would need to take a significant step up in order to show Arsenal were justified in keeping him.