Former Arsenal player Emmanuel Petit says Eddie Nketiah should stay at the Emirates this summer despite being linked with a move away from north London.
The Frenchman, who made 116 appearances for the Gunners and won the Premier League and FA Cup during his time at the club, said he thinks Nketiah would be better off sticking with manager Mikel Arteta and improving his game alongside Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
Nketiah has been a bit-part player for Arsenal this season, initially getting most of his game time in the Carabao Cup where he scored five goals in five appearances, including a hat-trick in the quarter-finals against Sunderland. In the Premier League, he has regularly been used as a substitute until recently, making his first league start of the season against Southampton in April and remaining in the team since.
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Arteta’s faith in the 22-year-old has been repaid with Nketiah scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and, most recently, another brace in the 2-1 win over Leeds on the weekend. His return of nine goals across all competitions puts him top of the list for goals scored per minute in Arsenal’s squad of players who have started at least ten games this season.
Despite that, Nketiah’s contract expires this summer and there is yet to be any sign of him signing an extension to keep him at the Emirates. The young forward has plenty of suitors in England as well as abroad, with Crystal Palace one of the clubs most interested in signing him over the last 12 months.
The Eagles have been tracking Nketiah for some time, with previous manager Roy Hodgson admitting he was a target of the club while he was in charge. Palace were reported to have had two bids for Nkeitah refused by Arsenal in January, with current manager Patrick Vieira keen to boost his current options up front.
But Vieira’s former Arsenal and France teammate Petit - who won the World Cup and European Championships alongside him in 1998 and 2002 - says Nketiah’s future should remain with Arsenal rather than elsewhere.
“I hope he's going to stay,” Petit told Genting Casino. “To be honest, he's made a big impression since he's played regular football with the team. He's also scored some important goals as well, in terms of performance, you can see he has improved on the pitch, as well as his teammates.
“I don't know what Alexandre Lacazette is going to do at the end of the season, but for sure, even with Lacazette and Nketiah, they would still need a striker who can score goals, at least score 20 to 25 goals per season. They need it to compete with the big guns as well, this is why I hope Nketiah is going to stay at the club.
“For me, he has a future at the club. Just like Smith-Rowe, Martinelli, Saka, they're young players from the academy. I hope he is going to stay but I hope Arsenal are going to buy a different kind of striker as well.”
