There was understandable concern at Arsenal following the knee injury and subsequent surgery that is set to keep Gabriel Jesus out for some time. However Eddie Nketiah, Jesus' replacement, was able to stifle those concerns with a goal in his first Premier League start. Nketiah began his mission of filling the void left by Jesus with a superb goal on the half-turn that sealed Arsenal's Boxing Day win.
Despite concerns the 23-year-old would not be able to match the output of Jesus, Mikel Arteta was always confident in the man who he awarded with a new five-year contract in the summer. "We have more faith in Eddie every single day," Arteta told reporters ahead of the clash with West Ham.
"We see every day what he brings to the team, what he is as a human being and the way he is developing as a player. We got a great response last year when we needed him and he did really well for the team. He is ready. That is why he signed his contract. He is a key player in our squad and he is going to have chances to play."
READ MORE: Arsenal's Mykhaylo Mudryk reality gives Edu a chance at ideal £31m transfer steal
Nketiah isn't the only option at Arteta's disposal though, with Folarin Balogun, who is currently out on loan at Reims in Ligue 1, also on the books at Arsenal. The 21-year-old has played in all 16 of Reims' league games this season showing he can compete at the top level with an impressive goal return.
A brace in Reims' first game following the World Cup saw his tally for the season reach double figures and move his side up to 10th with a 3-1 victory over Rennes. While a January return seems unlikely, despite the striker's contract with the Ligue 1 side containing a recall clause that can be activated in January, as football.london understands, Balogun is putting himself in the best position to be involved in the 2023/24 season.
Arsenal's January priority is with Mykhaylo Mudryk, who they are expected to make another bid for after seeing their opening offer of £55million including add-ons rejected, which likely indicates a decision has already been made on the immediate future of Balogun.
What it does provide Arsenal and Edu with is perhaps a similar situation to the one that occurred with William Saliba in the summer. A loan spell in France saw him return with plenty of experience and confidence almost acting as a new signing and Balogun's return could see Arteta not push for another attacker and instead focus on other areas of his squad.
While a transition into Premier League football could prove difficult at first for Balogun, Reddit user Ritz has provided a stat that would likely only fill Arsenal supporters with confidence that Balogun can be another striking option. Only Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have more goals this season than him in Ligue 1 and the brace against Rennes saw the Hale End grad become the highest-scoring Under-21s player in Europe's top five leagues.
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