Eddie Nketiah says he’s enjoying the chance to learn from Alex Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the duo welcomed the young striker back into the fold after his surprise recall from Leeds United.
The England under-21 international was selected ahead of the Frenchman for the second Premier League game in a row when Everton visited on Sunday and he went on to bag his first senior goal at the Emirates since his debut brace against Norwich in 2017.
Despite the competition to lead the line, Nketiah maintains that the senior duo are proving very helpful on the training ground.
“It’s great, they’re really good guys off the field and obviously top strikers,” he told Arsenal.com after the 3-2 win over the Toffees.
“I just try to focus on myself and learn from them, see the things they do well and try to take from it and improve. They’re always willing to give advice and talk to me whenever I need it.
“It’s great to have two great strikers to learn from. I’m just trying to improve every day and listen to the people around me, my family and coaches, really improve, take each day as it comes and get better.
“Laca is a mature lad and a great player. He did well in the last game he played and he always tries to encourage me. He has been a young player in my position as well so he knows what it is like, there are no hostilities he’s just always looking to help and improve and it shows the maturity he has.
“He has had a great career so all I can do is take the advice he gives me and try and implement it in my game and do what I do best.”
Nketiah’s total tally for the season now stands at seven goals in 24 appearances at a rate of once every 135 minutes. While things may not have worked out at Elland Road – he only completed 90 minutes once – he was thankful for the experience.
“My Leeds experience was good for me, I learned as a player,” he said.
“I might not have played as much as I want but I had good moments when I was there when I came on and played. It’s just about learning and developing.
“It started really well, obviously, I came on and if you check my minutes to goal ratio it’s quite good but obviously it’s just how things are. Sometimes the manager makes his decision and you have to deal with it. It’s about learning from that environment. It’s a very good environment to be in, it’s a very demanding coach and I learned a lot.”
Eddie also saved a few warm words for Mikel Arteta who persuaded him to spend the second half of the season at Arsenal when another loan move looked likely. Having been handed an opportunity to play games, he’s eager to repay the Spaniard’s faith.
“I try to give my all in training and treat it as a game,” he said. “He likes this mentality and obviously the quality I have, I try to showcase that. It’s just about working hard, I’m grateful he’s given me the opportunity he has and I just want to keep learning.
“He’s a great manager and has a real determination to help and improve players, young players and the senior players as well. I just want to keep learning of him, make sure my mentality is right each day and keep improving.”
Laca is a great guy, like Auba.
Heard there was a “warm down” session for substitutes at the Emirates after the game. And tired, sleepy-looking Auba was there to watch.
I am not surprised at all that the likes of Saka, Martinelli, and Nketiah find the bulk of our senior players approachable.
It’s going to be really interesting to see what we do with our forwards in the transfer window given we have a couple of youngsters in Martinelli & Saka who really look like they need to be playing (Saka is so talented and keeps saying he’s a forward not a left back) but with no clear path right now given Auba operates on the left & Pepe is quietly becoming very valuable on the right.
just take a peep at Man city. They don’t say sell Sterling because Sane needs to play or sell Mahrez because Bernardo is playing well. We really need to get rid of the small team mentality of a starting 11 plus their substitutes and embrace a big team mentality of good players competing for places and sharing the minutes whenever they are called upon
I’m not against competition for places. However we’re at a point where we now are going to have to actively convince Saka he should stay here or we face losing him for a couple of million pounds while we are also looking at having to pay Auba Ozil style money if we want to have any chance at him staying. One of the things that Ferguson did so well at United that we are going to have to start to do ourselves is figuring out when the best time to move players on as you have players ready to play… Read more »
I don’t see anything wrong with paying “Ozil style” wages to Auba if he remains as consistent as he has been since he came into the team
We didn’t see the problem with Özil in the beginning either, as he has been brilliant before the new contract.
Part of the process of keeping Saka interested is making him compete with good players with a chance of winning something collectively. If it is moving on players so he can play it would mean bringing in replacements who won’t affect his said playing time so complacency, a sense of being at a club with no ambition and a need to move to a bigger club with those better players you moved on in the first place would look good in his young and talented eyes. As for paying Auba ridiculous wages, we’ve been there and seen how easily it… Read more »
the reality is we’re no where near competing for top prizes so we’re going to have to convince young players it’d better to come here and play than sit on the bench at Liverpool or city
You are clueless about selfworth. And leverage etc
Ok – let’s discuss leverage then. Auba is supposedly wanted by several of Europe’s top clubs as he has been a consistent goal scorer everywhere he has gone. He has one year left on his contract and is at a club that really can’t afford to see another one of our top assets leave for free. We’re not exactly in a strong bargaining position here. Per Saka – b/c of the contract he is on, he can leave in a year (16 months) with us only receiving training compensation – a few million gbp. He’s shown himself to be one… Read more »
Auba doesn’t have lifelong Arsenal academy friends and is 18, he has different motivations and you need to understand Individual motivations before you understand Leverage. Carlo Ancelloti is a great coach, why not put his name there also, Saka will stay because he will be offered fair money and he gets to stay in his dream ‘Great’ club under a God/father-figure manager that he’s already great with. When last did you try changing god when things were going well ? His position on the pitch isn’t even settled, so the opposition has to be more family than we are (than… Read more »
What the actual f*ck are you talking about?
At the end of the day 99.9 percent of players are employees and not fans. That means they make what they view as the best decision for their career which usually means money, playing time or the chance to win major trophies. You’re massively overrating loyalty especially to Arteta – a guy the younger players will have known for all of 4 months
I am a bit tired of the constant comparing to Man City, especially since Arteta came. We are the Arsenal and we have to do the right things for OUR club — no matter if City or anyone else is doing them or not.
They really seem a good group of people don’t they?
Exactly so. They all look friendly. And with Arteta trying to create a special bond within the team, it’s going to get only better.
It is still too early to know for sure about Eddie. He is certainly good but I’m not sure he’ll ever reach top level. Martinelli and Saka on the other hand, are clearly top stars in the making and we should do our utmost to hold onto and help develop them.
Boy could have had 3 goals in 2 games, he’s obviously a clinical finisher but he’s missing the strength to round off his game as a lone forward, that will come in time.
Hope you have only readymade worldclass kids, for their own good.
I like that Eddie is ready to roll up his socks and work his nuts off for the team, I’d love to see him eventually become a 1st team regular, nothing quite like a homegrown striker! That said, for me he’s got the making of someone who could easily bang in 15-20 per season as a squad player, which would be very handy indeed.
I say it depends on Eddie. If he’s extremely ambitious and wants to be playing week in and week out. Then that’s up to him and whether he wants to prove he can earn it in our first team or take the easy way out and try it out in a lower team or different league.
Arsenal wise, I think he’s a solid replacement for welbeck.
I agree. Again, I started my comment by saying that it is certainly too early to tell with Eddie, but there are some kids, like Saka and Martinelli, whose talents appear to shine right away. Eddie is not at that level. He’ll need to work hard and keep his feet on the ground and hopefully he’ll be more than another Welbeck.
The main reason Arteta has been playing Nketiah is the possibility that Auba leaves the club. Both Barcelona and Real need a great striker and if one of Neymar or Mbappe leaves, PSG will offer him a lot of money.
It seems more likely he’s been playing Nketiah b/c Lacazette has been so badly out of form. Auba has functioned like much more of a secondary striker while Lacazette/ Eddie have had more responsibilities in terms of hold up play etc.
NO , he is right. He is playing Nketiah not bc of Lacazette but bc of potential to BOTH Auba and Laca leaving should we not make 5th or higher. Martinelli is closer to an Auba replacement and Nketiah to Laca but we will want hopefully to retain one of the senior players next season. More likely at the moment it is Laca since he provides something we do not have as yet in the middle even with nketiah as he can bully for space. Nketiah is only just developing. It will be foolish to the point of stupid to… Read more »
He’s playing him because he’s the best in the System in that position.
If you’re arranging gears ⚙️ , you don’t have to put the shiniest cog in the place where everybody with internet connectivity wants.
I pray do tell me why anyone would be playing certain players because of things that might happen next season. That’s pants on head dumb, he’s playing Nketiah because as he’s said many times that form and training determines who gets in the squad not name and Laca isn’t playing so well right now, the only reason he hasn’t been dropped until now is that he still contributed in other ways besides scoring but that seems to have slowed a bit down too so Nketiah is getting a chance now.
Delighted for him. He has the talent, just needs games to shine.
Who else wants this fella to succeed mainly so we can sing (and hear): “EEeddie, EEeddie, EEeddie, EEeddie, EEeddie” ring around the stadium.
You kids know that’s an Eddie Murphy thing originally, right?
Lacazette is important for us. Nketiah likely his successor in due time both have similar frame and predatory instincts in the box. Martinelli is more a replacement for Aubameyang should he (likely) leave. He cuts him from the left at pace, prefers ball fed to feet. Future looks good up top. We also have Nelson coming in to offer alternative to Pepe, Saka will be pushed higher up to his ‘natural position’. In attacking midfield, Ozil was excellent yesterday. He found space for us brilliantly and managed better physical duration lasting till 70 minutes before he started to walkabout. BUT… Read more »
A Santori comment I don’t dislike…!
Question some people are avoiding is why Mustafi is starting ahead of Sokratis and Holding …neither are injured. Most likely he will be sold this summer if there is a good price for him but you have to wonder regarding our Cback oiptions, we have 8 trying to fit into 4. Sokratis, Luiz, Mustafi may all go (ideally we will keep one from seniority at least) but if we change too much at the back, it may also be an issue for next season. Saliba likely to cycle in but he isn’t entirely scintillating this season (if injured for most… Read more »
That’s more like it…
Let’s wish him the best of luck and we will support him. He is a young kid with potential let’s hope he will make it. He was unlucky not to score twice against Everton.
No better feeling in football than your academy guys flourishing!
Totally off topic, but talking of young players.
Looking at Gnabry tonight and thinking of that we let that jewel slip away…