Should Arsenal keep or sell Nketiah this summer?

23 Aug 2021 13:22 BST
5 min read

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah — © ProShots

Arsenal have had a busier summer transfer window than most, as players have arrived and left the club in huge numbers.

While Mikel Arteta and his backroom staff scramble to try and find useful recruits to help turn their terrible start to the season around, it seems as though the club are considering whether or not to sell another young star.

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The London club cashed in on Joe Willock earlier in the window, when Newcastle United offered £26.5 million for the midfielder. And now, according to the Athletic, Crystal Palace are interested in signing young striker Eddie Nketiah.

According to the website, Palace are willing to offer around £10m for the 22-year-old forward but Arsenal are holding out for something closer to £20m. So should the Gunners cash in on another young talent or keep a hold of this one?

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How good is Nketiah>

Although Nketiah has technically made 65 appearances for Arsenal to date, he’s only chalked up 2,520 minutes of football across those games and as such has spent the vast majority of his time at the club as little more than a second half sub.

In a sense, that may explain why he’s only managed to bag 13 goals in that time. However, as he showed with three goals in eight starts in the Europa League last season, Nketiah can lead the line and create goals if given the opportunity to do so.

Perhaps the issue for Arsenal is that Arteta is unwilling to drop either Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette to test that theory anytime soon, and an extra £20m in their back pocket may make more sense right now.

For Palace, Nketiah certainly seems like a player with promise, after scoring 11 goals in 12 games for the Under-18 Premier League and then 27 goals in 38 games in the Premier League 2. But it remains to be seen whether he’s ready to step up and score goals on a regular basis in the English top-flight.