Arsenal have been urged to offer striker Eddie Nketiah a new contract at the end of the season, with the academy prospect set to leave the club as a free agent in the summer. It comes after the 22-year-old has begun to lead the line for the Gunners ahead of Alexandre Lacazette.
The Frenchman, like Nketiah, is also out of contract this summer, leaving Mikel Arteta with few natural centre-forward options. A number of players have been linked with a move to the Emirates to fill the soon to be vacant roles.
On the need for a striker in the upcoming transfer window, the Spaniard has said: “You can play good football, but you need enough goal threat in the team. The other thing is that he has to complement the other people we have, personally and on the pitch. We need the right profile.”
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While a lot of the emphasis has been placed on who Arsenal can bring in, there is still the option of who they can keep from leaving. Nketiah is one of those players who could stay, especially given his potential.
Sky Sports pundits Clinton Morrison and Tim Sherwood have backed the forward to stay at the club on Soccer Saturday. Morrison said: “I would give him another contract, I still think they need to bring in another world class striker but I’d definitely give him one. He’s young and hungry.”
Former Tottenham manager Sherwood agreed and urged Arteta to copy his trick with striker Harry Kane : “He’s the one player from their academy who’s had no love, why can’t he be the answer? Someone said he’s not going to take you to the level where you need to be.
“Well, Harry Kane wasn’t at the level when he first got into the side [at Tottenham]. You need to develop that level, they [young players] need to feel loved, they need to feel part of the environment.”
If Nketiah is to stay, the side may still need to add in the forward departments, though they would also have to complement his playing style. The academy graduate likes to run in behind and operate as a penalty box poacher.
To help that, the Gunners could look for someone with a bit more physical and aerial presence. Someone like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, for example, could help provide this, dropping deep and holding defenders off while adding the ability to score from deep crosses.
The next few months will see how the striker situation plays out, however there are plenty of options to choose from both in the club and out of it.
