Mikel Arteta hasn’t given up on persuading Eddie Nketiah to stay at Arsenal despite it being widely reported last week that the striker has told the club he wants to leave in the summer.
The Athletic reported that the Gunners had offered the 22-year-old improved terms but that the academy graduate, who will be a free agent in July and can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in three weeks time, has his heart set on trying his luck elsewhere after growing frustrated at a lack of game time at the Emirates.
“Eddie has six months left on his contract and we are having discussions with him and the agent to try to find the best possible way [forward],” said Arteta on Friday.
“Eddie knows how much I rate him, how much I like him and how much I want him to stay at the club.”
He added: “He’s our player, he’s someone that we raised, who has the Arsenal DNA in his blood. He loves the club so much and his reason is that he wants to play more football. That’s the genuine reason. It’s nothing to do with anything else, he wants more minutes and he thinks he’s capable to contribute much more. And that’s why I like him.”
Put to him that it’s very hard to promise any player game time, Arteta replied: “Very difficult, but I understand that Eddie is in that period in his career when after a loan spell, coming back and being in and out of the team that he feels that’s the case [to want to play more].
“At the same time, I have a strong feeling with him that he can really help the team.”
The questions about Nketiah’s future were no doubt prompted by his cameo appearances against Manchester United and Everton. In the latter, he took to the field before benched captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, which was somewhat surprising given the speculation about his future.
Nketiah wasn’t the only striker whose future was under the microscope in today’s press conference.
He was pressed for an update on Alex Lacazette, another player out of contract in the summer, and asked whether the club would countenance selling Aubameyang in January, a move posited by Gary Neville on Sky Sports Monday Night Football.
He didn’t have much time for either question. On Lacazette, he said: “It’s the same as every time you ask me the question, nothing is changed.”
And on Auba, he added: “Obviously, we have never discussed something like this,” said Arteta. “When players are under difficulty, what we have to give is support.”
He also made clear that he has no concerns about his relationship with the 32-year-old despite dropping him last time out.
“I have a very good relationship with my players. They have to understand that I always do the best for the club and for the team. After if I can benefit any of the individuals, I will always do it. The decisions are not personal, they are just to get performances and the best out of the team.”
Lacazette leaves, Auba for one more year. If Nketiah signs, he starts with Auba on the bench. Balogun on loan. Season after next, we can make a decision on Nketiah or Balogun for the future
That certainly is an Arteta-tinted view of things…
Did you ever hear of a fella called Martinelli?
Why even bother offering Eddie a deal…not good enough, never has been.
What is the point asking about Lacazette? His time is up at Arsenal. He is not a centre forward any more; we saw him vacate his position more often than not against Everton: he was beside Tomiyasu at full back at a point.
We need a younger and more agile point man – someone who can get to the end of those crosses and cut backs… and a new manager.
I don’t understand, a player who has had a good number of opportunities and really didn’t show much, furthermore, a player that expressed a desire to leave has suddenly become a priority. I’ve nothing against Nketiah, I respect his effort but other young players deserve a chance now, especially Balogun.
All our strikers have had a good number of opportunities. Problem is they don’t get a good number of opportunities. Miss one sitter in a game and the volume of big chances we consistently create tells you that you will be very fortunate indeed to get another. As I have said before, I don’t think Eddie is ‘good enough’ to be our first choice striker but can we really tell how good he actually is given the dearth of chances created? He’s feeding off scraps and disjointed. stagnant build-up play. Auba’s career was prolific before he was introduced to Artetaball.
Maitland Niles to Nketiah – “bro this man is an wordy witch, He promised me game time and look at me. Get the eff off from here.”
Xhaka whispers in Eddie’s ear: “Don’t worry about him [AMN]. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about”.
With every press conference, line up, substitution and game plan, Arteta is making it very difficult for even his most dieheart fans to defend him.
Why?! Where does Balogun fit in if Auba is still crucial, Martinelli, Eddie has a big role to play, Laca still getting game time, and Pepe (?!). And all rumours point towards interest in a CF. Resign Eddie, make him a bit part player and then we’re back to struggling to sell him for 10M quid. What are we doing here?
We have been a very confused club for a long time now.
After a loan spell coming back and in and team. He was in and out the Leeds team who were playing in the championship. There was a great article by Nick Wright on sky sports app highlighting the very dubious decisions Arteta has been making. He will start Xhaka tomorrow and Lokonga will once more be on bench. I’m sure he was instrumental in our unbeaten run. Man of match against Newcastle and not started since. I’m convyartets is so far out of his depth.
Sambi was shit against Liverpool.
So was the whole team. Liverpool at anfield will embarrass many a team. It was a lesson for sure. Other than that he has done well. Doesn’t matter anyway as Xhaka will start
Hey man, I really like your posts and I don’t want to correct people’s spelling, but I think you got two words confused.
Re-sign is what Nketiah won’t do.
Resign is what Arteta won’t do.
We’ll probably re-sign both, but we should probably resign both.
He was also asked about Wijnaldum. I wish he just said “No, we won’t be signing players in their 30’s whose name begins with Wi….ever again”
Wijnaldum is a very good player, I would take him over partey and xhaka for the 2nd half of the season.
So Eddie’s the answer now?
Give him game time, convince him to sign, then bench him.
Good job, Mikel.
Playing time: Now used for things other than helping us win games.
This club is on a joke thing. Clueless hacks from top to bottom running things. We are genuinely fucked. Edu and mikel determined to run us to the ground.
It’s very hard for Arteta to promise anybody game time, unless their name is Willian or Xhaka
Arteta is not making sense here. Let the boy go.
He might be talking such talk in order to get something for Eddie in terms of a transfer fee. There are a few PL clubs that could take a chance on him.
It’s not up to him though (as I pointed out the other day). It’s up to Eddie and his agent. They stand to make WAY more profit from holding out and leaving on a free. Eddie’s ship has sailed. He didn’t take his chances enough when they came, we missed getting a fee when we had a chance, it’s time to burry him in the u/23s promote Balogun and move on. Eddie is leaving for free, even if he does resign that just creates more problems. Bad decisions all around him.
Of course it is up to Eddie and his agent, but if a PL side came in for him and promised him football this Winter with performance bonuses, you’d have to think he’d go for it and that the club would sell. I don’t think it is fair to put this all on the club — we reportedly tried to sell him in the summer, and couldn’t because of Eddie and his agent. Prior to that, I don’t recall us getting any tangible offers. Balogun is going to go on loan from all the reports I’ve read, and that is… Read more »
I agree on the Balogun loan. He’s clearly not going to get the chances he needs here. I really hope he gets to play whereever he goes. As for Eddie, your own argument kind of defeated your point. If a club comes in they’ll likely reject it as they already have (apparently) done.
I think his loan will be a priority in terms of making sure it is a perfect fit.
Yeah, I realize that, but things can change so quickly in football. Palace might even come back with an improved offer as their honeymoon period seems to be over. Will be interesting to see.
Actually it might not be for Eddie and his agents benefit, if he signs for free to an English club they will have to pay compensation, decided by a board of people, if we have him making appearances, keeping our highest paid player on the bench etc. I’m sure our lawyers can demand a higher compensation fee
Spot on.
I thought we had 6 players that needed upgrading, on current form it’s 12.
That doesn’t dismiss Arteta of any blame, it’s just a fact. We are a top 4 team (at least), so we need to look at the squad and ask….who would get into the other top 4 squads? There’s 12 that definitely wouldn’t, and that is where we’re at.
Hey mate, welcome back from the 5 years of isolation from the civilized world but during the time when you were gone, the following things happened: Spurs have finished ahead of us for 5 consecutive seasons. Arsenal Wenger left the club and has not stepped foot in the emirates in over 3 years. Unai Emery managed the club for a season and a half. The trauma of Emery’s management style pushed us into appointing a complete novice as his experience. Oh and before I forget, there was a Global pandemic and we played football behind closed doors for 18 months.… Read more »
What’s your point?
My point is this: Donald Trump made a deal with the taliban to withdraw and hand over Afghanistan to them and none of us was the wiser until Arteta finished 8th for a second consecutive season to add the Wengers final two seasons when we finished out of the champions league places while not ignoring emery’s season when we finished 5th. Am I making some sense here? Back to the important issues, Donald Trump went as far as unilaterally canceling the Iran nuclear deal that Obama had worked tirelessly to secure before leaving power, pull the US out of the… Read more »
Yeah, kinda, but do you think we’d be that much better with these players with a different manager?
Try and keep it brief and not disappear up your own arse 😉
Quality. 👏👏👏
Why? No need for talks just let him go
Nketiah would not have played had it not been for the contract situation. That being said, kind of understandable to seek to use game time as part of committing a player that Arteta obviously believes in, and we have indeed seen some young talents boom elsewhere like Gnabs, Bennacer and Le Jeff. I have been impressed with Arsenal foreseeing the potential with Ramsdale, Tierney and Gabs – so maybe we should trust Arteta’s judgement also with Nketiah. Could become a force in a couple of years.
You mean trust Arteta who when no team in world football was willing to pay more than 12 million for a 28 year old who wanted to leave the club, decided to then make him captain and say how important he is to the team and club. You mean trust Arteta who dropped Lokonga and brought back Elneny who had started all season and broke up a promising partnership with partey. The man is out of depth and appears to be a terrible man manager. He’s ok with kids and average players by the look of it. You mean Arteta… Read more »
Eddie seems like a nice lad and yes he’s come through the academy, But so was Jay Bothroyd, Chuba Akpom, Charlie Gilmour, Xavier Amaechi, the list could go on and on…
He will undoubtedly make a career in professional football but just because he has come through the ranks alone doesn’t automatically mean we have to keep him if the quality isn’t quite there.
“Eddie knows how much I rate him, how much I like him and how much I want him to stay at the club,” – that’s why he wants to leave, Mikel.
I suppose Pepe has got just blood with no DNA in it.
Forget the transfer fee with pepe, Raul and his buddies played the old banana in the tailpipe trick, stan and Josh fell for it. He’s not that good of a player, the fee isn’t his fault. If he was playing for Everton you would be on here bitching if we bid 25 million for him. Same with partey, not worth the fee or the wages. Doesn’t matter where you play them, we got took.