Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes that Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah should leave the Gunners when his contract expires at the end of the season.
football.london understands that in recent months, Nketiah has rejected a range of contract offers, citing the need to play more often as the reason. However, the England youth international has scored four goals in his run of five starts in recent games and his form has been an important reason why the Gunners are in a good position to secure a Champions League spot next season.
Following his brace in the Gunners' 2-1 win over Leeds United on Sunday, Mikel Arteta once again admitted that he would like the Hale End graduate to stay at the club: "This boy doesn’t change, that’s why we absolutely adore him & he deserves what is happening to him," he said. "He’s still got a lot to do but now he has the right environment and he has the right personnel around him. Now he can be judged by what he does on the pitch and before he didn’t have that context."
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But time is running out for Arsenal to make their case to the youngster who is looking to be a permanent starter. With that in mind, Carragher thinks he should look to move on from the Gunners. He told Sky Sports: "Yes [Arsenal should try to keep him] but I don’t think he’ll ever end up first-choice striker, so I think it would be better for him to move on."
Ian Wright thinks differently, however. The Arsenal legend thinks that there won't be too many Champions League clubs looking to sign him in the coming window, so if Arteta's side can finish in the all-important top four places, Nketiah should definitely remain in north London. Speaking on Match of the Day 2, he said: "It's a great dilemma for him. I listened to him on the Beautiful Game podcast and he’s saying I’ve not had a run, I’ve not even had three games on the spin.
"If I can get three games in a row and I’m not doing it then I totally understand people saying I’m not ready, but he says just give me a run of games. If he can continue to score goals that are going to fire Arsenal into fourth then you have to say to yourself if he did leave Arsenal, he’s going to be playing Champions League. If he did leave Arsenal where’s he going that he’s going to be playing Champions League? He’s in a great position to stay. I’d love him to stay."
It's a big decision for Nketiah moving forward, but keeping him would certainly be a boost for Arteta heading into next season.
