Nketiah proves worth as Arsenal return to action

Eddie Nketiah today showed why many Arsenal fans have been too quick to write him off.

Following the news that Gabriel Jesus had picked up an injury in a World Cup tie against Cameroon, the majority of Arsenal fans started scrambling for solutions.

Some wanted to sign Felix for £100m. Some wanted to sign Mykhailo Mudryk and play him through the middle. Some wanted to recall Folarin Balogun from loan. Yet, despite all of these options, no one seemed to want to give Eddie a chance.

Nketiah had only managed to contribute three on-target shots in multiple short cameos off the bench this season and people seemed to forget what he was able to do last season.

In the 2021/22 season, Nketiah featured off the bench commonly but still struggled to get on the score sheet. In many cases, he was brought on as a set of fresh legs to chase and press the opposition as the Gunners looked to close out games.

When Aubameyang was let go and Lacazette benched, Nketiah showed what he was truly capable of. In a late season streak of starting games, the Englishman made himself the focal point of the Arsenal attack, producing six goal contributions (5 G, 1 A). Whilst that might not sound like a lot, it came a crucial time, including braces against Chelsea and Leeds.

The fact of the matter is Eddie Nketiah coming off the bench and Eddie Nketiah in the starting eleven are two completely different people.

Whilst he possesses a different skill set to Gabriel Jesus, Nketiah proved that he can still help this Arsenal team. His playing style isn’t so much focused on dropping deep and linking up play but rather hitting the opposition where it hurts – he’s a fox in the box.

If you disagree, watch his goal. He receives the ball with his back to goal, uses his body brilliantly to spin the defender and get the ball onto his preferred right foot before slotting the ball into the far bottom corner. It was a classic striker's goal.

Whilst it’s still too early to call, Eddie Nketiah has shown early signs that he can still be of use to this Arsenal team in lieu of Gabriel Jesus. The only thing for him to do now is keep proving himself.