Nketiah just can’t cut it. On a high wage, does not produce and is ineffective. Any fee for Nketiah should be considered a bonus. We just need to get rid.

I have seen versions of the above countless times since we rejected Marseille’s bid for Eddie Nketiah. The slander and criticism of the Hale End graduate from Arsenal fans is ridiculous.

Eddie is not a poor player.

Just because he is not good enough to be a regular starter for The Arsenal (a title challenging team) does not mean is no good. He would do a fantastic job playing week in, week out for a mid-table Premier League team.

There are levels to football, and Eddie would score 15+ league goals for someone like Crystal Palace, Bournemouth or Wolverhampton Wanderers.

I also do not buy into those that say he is not good enough for Arsenal.

Yes, he is not good enough to start regular, but for me he is the best 3rd choice striker in the Premier League.

Go and do your own research and tell me who Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle have as their 3rd choice striker – Nketiah will be better than them all.

The issue for Nketiah at Arsenal isn’t that he is not good enough to be our 3rd choice striker, but that we do not need an out and out 3rd choice striker.

We play one up top. We therefore only need two strikers. Do not believe me? Go and look at the make up of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City over the last decade – Haaland and Alvarez, Aguero and Jesus.

There were a few years Pep where would Kelechi Iheanacho as a 3rd choice, but the Nigerian was clearly not good enough to start regularly fo City. And Nketiah is a similar level to the now Sevilla striker.

Were Eddie to leave, we would not go straight out into the market to buy a replacement, because we still would not need a 3rd choice striker.

One option will be to buy a top winger, and then Gabriel Martinelli / Leandro Trossard become the 3rd choice striker as a second job behind their primary role on the wing.

Alternatively, we go out and buy a striker who is better than Jesus, and the Brazilian then becomes a regular option on the wing whilst also on occasion being a striker.

Which scenario, we end up with the 3rd choice striker also being an option on the left and right wing. Nketiah is not better than Jesus, nor does he have the versatility to play outside. But again, just because he is not good enough for Arsenal, it does not mean he is not good enough.

I see a lot of talk about Eddie’s wage – reported to be £100k a week. Those that think this is a “high wage” need to bring their head in 2024. That is what squad players at title challenging clubs get these days. And also what a starting striker can expect to get playing for any mid-lower table side in the Premier League.

When we turned down the bid from Marsielle, there was uproar. We should just cash in was said by many. But is £17m really the right fee for someone of Nketiah’s ability? Or would we be underselling?

Dominic Solanke has just signed for Tottenham for £65m. He is 2 years Eddie’s senior and has one good season under his belt.

Yes, last season Solanke was terrific scoring 19 Premier League goals. But in his 4 Premier League seasons prior to 2023/24, Solanke had scored just 10 goals in 96 Premier League appearances. That is 1 goal every 9.6 games.

As a comparison, Eddie has 19 career Premier League goals in his 116 appearances for Arsenal. That is 1 in 6.

I am not saying that Nketiah is better than Solanke, nor am I saying we should expect £65m for Eddie. But Solanke has had one good season in the Premier League in his career and turns 27 soon. Eddie at 25 has done more in the top flight of English football than Solanke did at the same age.

Armando Broja is also off to Ipswich on loan, with an obligation to buy for £30m if they stay up. Broja is 23-years-old and has scored a grand total of 2 Premier League goals in 26 games.

If Broja is going for £30m, then Nketiah is worth at least that!

Many of those complaining we did not sell Nketiah for £17m also complain we undersell players, and would have complained had we sold Eddie for just £17m. Had Eddie already left for Marseille, they would be up in arms over that Broja price this morning!

Fans act like Eddie is worthless, that he is not good enough to be 3rd choice for The Arsenal. Not good enough to start for a mid-table Premier League team. Not good worth £30m. They could not be so wrong.

Meanwhile, they still cheer for Emile Smith Rowe. A player that has done less for us than Eddie. A player who has been unable to stay fit for 2 seasons.

They still cry for ESR, calling it the biggest mistake in Arsenal’s history. Claiming we undersold him at £25m (he went for the same as Ollie Skipp who is the same level!). They hype up Smith Rowe and what he did for Arsenal, whilst playing down Nketiah’s ability and what he did.

The reality is neither are good enough for Arsenal. But both will be solid signings for mid-table Premier League sides. And we should be looking to clear in excess of £50m in selling them this summer.

Eddie has not moaned about lack of playing time. He has not thrown his toys out the pram. Not demanded to leave. He has applied himself well in training throughout his career, but unfortunately for him his ceiling is our 3rd choice striker. That does not make him a bad player.

I will wish Nketiah all the luck when he departs. And I bet in 2-years when he scores 15+ goals for Nottingham Forest or Crystal Palace, and moves to West Ham for £45m, those moaning now will be moaning again that we should have stuck with Eddie Nketiah!

Keenos

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