Mikel Arteta has doubled down on his admiration for Eddie Nketiah as the striker continues to ponder over his next move.
The Arsenal forward is out of contract in the summer, although a fresh offer has been tabled by the north London outfit. The Gunners face the prospect of a striker exodus with Alexandre Lacazette also poised to seek pastures new when the current campaign ends.
Nketiah has been limited to a squad role at the Emirates, which has been a cause of frustration. He has only started the once with a further 13 appearances coming from the bench in the Premier League, but Arteta has had to accept that the player wants to think of his decision. He said: "With Eddie I said so many times how much I rate him and that we have big plans for his future. We have to accept that and it's the reality."
The 22-year-old has been at the Gunners since 2015, making his debut in September 2017. He headed out on loan to Leeds in search of more minutes, but was only used sporadically by then boss Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road. Since signing a permanent deal as an 18-year-old in 2018, Nketiah has only made 85 appearances across all competitions.
Nketiah himself was linked with a summer switch to Crystal Palace before he ended up staying at Arsenal. He has underlined his want to play more minutes - which has him wrestling with his love of the north London club.
“There have been offers of a new contract but at the moment my aim is to play football and play regularly. That’s my ambition and that’s what I hope to do but at the same time I’m at Arsenal, I love Arsenal,” Nketiah explained on the Beautiful Game Podcast.
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“I’m just trying to focus on the season until May and make sure I finish that in a good way and then sit down and see what I think is the best opportunity to allow me to take those steps and develop". He also added: “For me to take the next step and get to where I think I can get to I obviously need to consider getting more minutes.”
Arsenal made moves to sign Dusan Vlahovic in the summer before they lost out to Juventus. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saw his contract terminated and subsequently moved to Barcelona. Lacazette has also made it known that he will be looking to play elsewhere.
He told Canal Plus : “I am in discussions with a lot of clubs. I am open." He also added: “I have never cut contact with Lyon since I left. I try to return to the club once or twice a year to see the medical staff because we are really close. Lyon knows that I am free, they have come to the information . “
