He's had to be patient, but Eddie Nketiah could finally be set to get his chance at Arsenal this season. The 23-year-old was rewarded with a contract extension in the summer after an impressive end to last campaign in which he scored five times in eight starts, but this year game time has been hard to come by.
This has largely been down to the signing of Gabriel Jesus. Despite only scoring five goals since his arrival from Manchester City in July, the Brazilian has been superb in transforming Arsenal's attack into one that's capable of launching an unexpected Premier League title challenge. On top of that Jesus has established himself as a leader within the Gunners dressing room and has been praised by Mikel Arteta for the impact he has had had on his young side.
However, Jesus now looks set for a spell on the sidelines after reports suggesting that he will miss the rest of the World Cup with a knee injury. It is thought that he will be aiming to return to the Arsenal side in January, meaning that he will most likely miss the Gunners Premier League return against West Ham on Boxing Day, as well as their fixture against Brighton on New Year's Eve. All this presents a huge opportunity for Nketiah:
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It would be wrong to say that the 23-year-old is happy with the lack of minutes he's been getting this season, but at the same time he appreciates the part he has to play in the squad. Last season Nketiah was hardly called upon until April, but replaced the misfiring Alexandre Lacazette late on in the campaigning to nearly help Arsenal towards Champions League qualification. This time around he has again largely been part of the supporting cast, but the academy graduate has already suggested that he is primed to replicates his heroics from last season.
"Yes, as a player everyone wants to play football," he said back in September. "My aim is to be starting and helping the team, but I respect the coach’s decision. It’s down to me keep working hard and putting in the performances. There will be a lot of opportunities for me to play, whether that be in Europe or in the League, and I’ll be ready whenever I’m called upon."
This will be music to the ears of Arteta who will now most likely have to call on Nketiah in his time of need. With a five point lead at the top of the Premier League, Arsenal have something of cushion, but they were be wary of conceding any ground to Manchester City. Losing Jesus will of course be a huge blow in their attempts to do this, but Nketiah has shown he is a viable option this season.
The 23-year-old has already been training at London Colney this week and will be a key part of Arsenal's squad who travel out to Dubai on Sunday. Throughout the warm weather training camp and friendlies against Lyon and AC Milan, Arteta will be able to work with the centre forward who has often been praised for the work he does on the training ground.
Despite some criticism in the past, Nketiah has never let Arsenal down when called upon in the past. With the Gunners once again needing to rely on the Hale Ender, the hope will be that he can step up again.
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