Arsenal have confirmed that Eddie Nketiah has signed a new long-term contract believed to run until 2027.
The striker looked to have one foot out of the door a couple of months ago but a run of eight consecutive starts in the Premier League, coupled with an improved contract offer, has persuaded the striker that Mikel Arteta is serious about giving him the opportunities he feels he deserves. Alongside his new deal, Nketiah has also taken the number 14 shirt.
Nketiah ended the 21/22 campaign with 10 goals to his name across a total of 28 appearances. While he had clearly hoped for more minutes (his total of 1,284 amounts to just over 14 full games), the attacker has always had the backing of his manager.
Time after time last season, Arteta praised Nketiah’s attitude in training and spoke publicly of his desire to see the academy graduate stay at Emirates Stadium.
“He’s our player, he’s someone that we raised, who has the Arsenal DNA in his blood,” he said ahead of the January transfer window when several clubs were circling.
“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.”
While Arsenal would have been eligible for a tribunal-decided fee had he joined another English club as a free agent, losing him for far less than his market value would have been embarrassing for the club.
Thankfully, it hasn’t come to that and Arteta is clearly pleased.
“I’m delighted Eddie is staying with us,” he said. “He represents what we are all about and all the values of the club. We are very happy that he has extended his contract and now we have to get to work and continue to develop the great talent and person that we have in him.”
Technical director Edu added: “The foundations of this squad are built on young talent and in particular those who have come through our Academy system. Eddie was released by another club as a young man but has always shown he has the attitude as well as the ability to become a top player. The fact he’s signed a new contract is an important part of our squad planning for next season and we’re all delighted.”
Congratulations to Eddie on his new deal. It’ll be interesting to see who he has for competition in attack.
The Gunners retain an interest in Gabriel Jesus but there is competition for the Brazilian’s signature from various clubs.
Well done Eddie! Proof that every player has the ability to turn around their situation with hard work and perseverance. Really pleased for the lad. Sorry to be off topic but I’m hearing some very cryptic issues with the Tielemans deal. It would appear that Arsenal love the player, personal terms have been agreed but Arsenal are yet to make an offer and may not do so due to some unuttered difficulty. Anyone got any ideas / theories about it? The obvious thought is agent fees but surely this would have already been discussed. Really weird one. Anyone got any… Read more »
Leicester wasn’t too much for a player with 1 year left on his contract
I’m guessing that should read “Leicester want too much…”
Don’t we need to make an offer in order to discover that?
Not really. A lot of negotiations speak about hypotheticals before actual offers to find out what the other side really cares about and where there is movement. Or….. How much of Arsenal’s transfer strategy is predicated on very public announcements of targets while the club works quietly on another set of targets using the public targets as a way to drive down the quiet targets. Or…. we are still in for Tielmanns and are playing hardball threatening to walk away from the deal. No one really knows but is fun to watch the club operate. We seem smart again and… Read more »
Yeah, good point. We should defo be using these players contract situations as leverage. Unfortunately in both Jesus and Tielemans case, we are fighting against a few other clubs so we can’t be too cute.
But to have secured the desire of the player is a great negotiation place to be at.
I just can’t help but feel something else is a little fishy here… It’s probably my Higuain neurosis up to its old tricks. But I wonder if this has a few more twists and turns.
Like sensible theories? Or just anything off the top of our heads? If it’s the first one I’ve got nothing but if it’s the second then I heard it’s because we’re trying to convince him to change his name to Youri Thierryhenrielemans so we can continue our summer policy of only buying players who share the names of former Invincibles.
Haha!
So you’re saying we should expect moves for Watford’s Dennis, the resigning of Joel Campbell and West Ham’s Ryan Fredericks?
It worked once didn’t it
Campbell (Joel, not Sol) just scored to put Costa Rica in the World Cup. He is still under 30 (also Joel, not Sol), which is amazing.
I would certainly have kept Joel Campbell on our books, rather than paid big (and unnecessary) money for Pepe, but that’s life.
And I just read that Monaco have released a veteran midfielder, who is available on a free. His name is Cesc Fabregas, which sounds incredibly similar to an Arsenal legend.
Backup for Xhaka right there
Well, I heard it’s because we wanted to sign famous Baroque composer Georg Telemann, but it turns out this Leicester fella doesn’t know a harpsichord from a lute. Disappointing. I was hankering for some light fugues to ring about the Emirates this coming season.
The music hasn’t been the same since Little Mozart retired.
Same old tune
Funny but if this boy can be as productive as tortoise Giroud was, he would be a success. He is putting pressure on himself with the number 14 but reaching Giroud’s level isn’t a given.
Seriously, I heard Guardiola say that nobody was better than Gabriel Jesus in high pressing game. Eddie can do a job in this area as well. Maybe in a 4-4-2 they can give opponent a difficult equation to resolve.
FFS.
Giroud was so underrated.
Hes won Ligue 1 + golden boot, the world cup, champions league, Europa league, Serie A, and wot – 3 FA cups with Arsenal. A Puskas award.
Not a speed demon, but so what. Handsome fooking bloke to boot!! So Lets have none of that OG hate here.
Nothing against Laca – the bloke always tried his best – but with hindsight I think we can all agree we’d have had more points every season had we kept Giroud and given him all the minutes Lacazette played.
And bought Aubameyang instead of Laca. Good chance we’d have won the EL and Arsene Wenger would still have been in charge for at least a little longer.
You should start “Johnnyblog”?
Not so sure this is simply a case of Eddie turning around his Arsenal career. Definitely a lot of facets to this new deal, where of course his performances towards the end of the season would have played a part for sure. But I perceive his contract extension to be more around a bit of circumstantial financial convenience and us protecting an asset by creating a market for him, and his agent basically recognizing the sweet spot of knowing he had a fair bit of leverage over the club if they wanted to get Eddie to stay. That scenario was… Read more »
Go Boy!
Indeed!
I have it on good authority that Eddie’s goal celebration next season is changing from telephoning his agent to pulling wads of cash from his underpants and throwing it into the crowd.
Too bad the notes have got Stan’s moosh on them (The Bank of Kroenke) and not Her Majesty The Queen’s…
He was always trying to phone southgate
But kept getting a call centre in Ghana.
Nice!
Back on form bro!
I’m a crotchety curmudgeon but this had me laughing. Thanks mate!
😂
Good lad, Eddie. Hope he scores boatloads and silences the subset of Gooners online bemoaning his extension.
You will quickly find out that not even 60 league goals in 26 matches can silence online fans. If he can score enough to help the club reach it’s targets and his then no problem if some teenager calls him Peddie Pettia.
Happy for another one of our own signing on
LANS
I don’t know what to think about this. Has he deserved a new contract of that size or the honour of the no. 14 shirt? No. Did he play well for a month or two and could we see some more of that? Yes, possibly. Was renewing his deal more cost effective than buying a new striker? Probably. Time will tell with this one – I feel there’s a lot of bias with Eddie because we want to see a Hale End boy do well and with the recency of his good performances. Up until a few months ago there… Read more »
I also want to see him score boatloads and silence me as a critic! But I think there are good reasons for the doubt and criticism.
Did Smith Rowe do anymore than him the season before to earn the number 10. Does he carry it well now?
Am I looking forward to another confidence boosting shirt number masterstroke by Arteta?
No, yes and absolutely.
Smith-Rowe, a year younger than Nketiah and a year before him, completely revolutionised a season playing Rolls-Royce quality football that saved our season. He then went on the next season to become one of the highest scorers in the PL from midfield before his injury. He’s star quality and incomparable to Nketiah (certainly for now).
What injury did ESR suffer from again? I keep hearing about it like it’s some public knowledge and nobody has ever found any evidence for it…
I think it’s less about the “financial” outlay on Nketiah but the opportunity cost (as Elliott likes to bang on about on the ArsenalVision podcast) that concerns me. What happens in a year or two if we can’t sell him to bring in someone better (for the squad place, not the transfer fee), because he’s on stupid wages that no team willing to buy him can afford?
The enthusiasm vs the pessimism re Eddie is hilarious. He is a back up option to whoever we sign to lead the line. He will neither score 20 a season (the optimists), or be our lead striker for the season (the pessimists). He’s a transfer fee free, homegrown, squad depth option. No more, no less.
I look at him as a Europa League elneny kind of deputy, ideally wouldn’t even be 2nd choice but since there’s a lot of work to do in summer they probably felt it would be easier to tie him down than replace him, as well as get some value for him in a summer or two. The only thing is, I feel we shouldn’t just throw the number 14 to anyone who asks, that’s a special number for us and imo nketiah hasn’t earned even the permission to ask for it. Walcott vibes. Please tell me if I’m wrong tho,… Read more »
Henry is gone. This isn’t the NBA where jerseys get retired. If a shirt number is available, give it to whoever has earned a contract.
Saying that though, Gallas 10 just wasn’t right
Gallas just wasn’t right
I agree with you about the number, it does seems strange to give it to him so early. But i guess its one of the only vacant numbers that nketiah could of got thats lower than the number he has now. Lets hope he becomes even half the player henry was!
“Walcott vibes”? I don’t get the Walcott hate that still exists. Don’t get me wrong, he was never in touching distance of Henry, but the man scored over 100 goals for Arsenal. It’s not his fault he wasn’t on a par with literally the best striker in the world, and frankly if Eddie can do half as well as Theo then this is good business.
Theo sucked. With giroud’s target man play + ozil’s magic, the wingers had to score 20-30 goals each. That was the game lan. Theo has no footballing brain unfortunately
Yeah, thank you, Chris Waddle. 🙄
Never understood the hate towards Theo.
His powers waned towards the end of his time with us, and he’s never really got going elsewhere, but for a winger to have scored over 100 goals is no mean feat.
Shame injuries really hampered him, was a very good player!
His goals against the Scum were always special (who can forget him reminding the cunts of the score as he was being stretched off in one game) and of course his well taken half volley in the FA Cup Final against Villa in 2015, which settled our nerves and lay the foundation for our most emphatic Cup Final day victory.
A Gooner through and through. He’ll make a great pundit (to fly the Arsenal flag) once he hangs up his boots for good.
Theo was a clinical finisher with top top speed. Loved that NLD when they carried him off on the stretcher and he held up the score to the game, 2-0 to the Arsenal.
I’m baffled by the negativity as well. Walcott never quite hit the heights we hoped for, in large part due to recurring injuries, but was a great player for us all the same.
That‘s the problem with a lot of the Arsenal fanbase. Every striker gets compared to Henry. Every number 10 to Bergkamp. Every central midfielder to Vieira etc.
Those guys were the best to play for Arsenal in 130+ years. We‘re not getting such guys in every transfer window, as some seem to expect.
I thought Theo was wank.
Me too.
TBH Theo wasn’t particularly wank. I thought he was too one-dimensional and as a result too predictable over time.
And that’s what makes them legends!
The 14 wasn’t just worn by Henry. Also Hillier, McGoldrick and Hleb had this shirt. It is just a number.
Hleb wore 13
My grandson of nine years old wears Henry’s number so it matters! 🙂
I see him as a fairly limited player technically but with outstanding pressing and predatory finishing. He’s not going to be a top striker but he’s going to get us lots of goals over the years.
I hear you, but these are different times and those are different guys. Theo gave us a lot, but he was a prima donna at contract time. What Eddie did was only what any good young player who backs himself does these days. He gets a chunk of what would be transfer fees when he leaves on a Bosman or stays because he could leave. It took guts to risk injury or managerial disfavor and not sign an earlier extension. He could be needing knee surgery right now and have to re-sign for a bargain rate. But instead, he trained… Read more »
“Vieira plays a dangerous chipped pass into the box… Nketiah gets ahead of his man… And he taps through the keepers legs… First blood to Arsenal!”
I’m expecting many variations on this scenario!
That’s the spirit I love to see!
Glad to see some self belief, felt the same when ESR took the 10 (even if that’s pretty much MØ’s position!). I genuinely thought we’d regret letting Eddie go, in a way I didn’t when Willock, Iwobi, or even the Ox departed. Now we’re seeing an influx of more creative players there’s no way he won’t get bucketloads of goals, but we need to not throw our heads back and howl with despair every time he misses a presentable chance. Think how many sitters Auba missed; it’s just a numbers game. Really excited for next season, last Summer’s window felt… Read more »
At 23, Eddie is still fairly young for a striker. I think there’s more to come from him, and I would have been disappointed had he been able to show his potential for Palace instead of us. Let’s see where this goes. He looked good with some consistent game time, and I think we’ll see him play in all the Europa games.
Tbf Eddie knew he was playing for his Arsenal and possibly PL career, every time he missed he must have been acutely aware of that. Auba had no such pressure
Eddie, Balogun, Jesus (hopefully)
Strong feelings this would work out.
Last season experience is VITAL NOW.
COYG
Our Champions League campaign of 2023/24 will be in good hands….
SR in 10, Eddie in 14. Vieira had better get the 4 shirt!
Get in EN14
Number 14 shirt, really?
If Jesus falls through or gets injured, we will be relying on nketia 😂😂
Jesus always recovers from injury after three days, so we should be fine.
😂🤓
Someone will crucify you for that comment
All is forgiven.
Is it true he’s good at getting on to a cross?
😂
If you want to tell your striker you have confidence in him I can’t think of a better way. And belief leads to goals.
This is about money me thinks. Can’t afford to buy two strikers so keeping nketia works out cheaper. I would take the Newcastle fella who scored against us as back up to main striker all day long over nketia. The tines against Newcastle nketia didn’t play the simple pass and just ran with the ball and lost it. It was a truly selfish performance when champions league was at stake. I believe Xhaka was referring to him when he said players didn’t follow managers instructions. Imagine if Jesus falls through and we start season with nketia 😂😂😂
Man City won the title with Jesus as their main striker. Who else did they have?
The point that they are replacing Jesus with Haaland is moot because we are not at their level. If we can be somewhere close to how good they have been then we are on the right track. Haaland-type signings will come when we are making noise in the champions league and near the top of the PL again.
Also, without Arteta’s connection we would not have a chance of even getting Jesus.
We couldn’t ask for a better backup striker. I wish Arteta had matched his words with action earlier than he did last season. We probably would be playing CL football next season.
He kept making a song and dance about the lad’s value to the team, and yet would not consider him even when it became apparent Lacazette’s race was run sometime in January.
But the number 14 shirt? I hope it inspires him rather than become a weight on his shoulders. Theo Walcott on my mind.
Ssshhhh! not sure they’ve told him he’s a back up striker. Very underwhelming re-signing but happy to be proved wrong.
Completely agree.
Eddie seems a light weight. Dont think be has what it takes for the Prem.
Happy to be proven wrong, but he’s still a level down from the likes of the leagues top strokers.
Eddie has a way to go and its yet to be seen if he has a real football brain (and I have my doubts). Again, I hope he takes that huge step up (that he absolutely must do for the Prem) and proves the doubters wrong. Come on Eddie!
He has more about him than Jesus. He showed that at West Ham.
Good to see him sign, but solely on the assumption he’s our sub/rotation behind a big signing #9. And I know I know, numbers don’t matter etc but why Nketiah 14 and Martinelli 11 baffles me.
Well done EN14.
Well done, too, to Mikel Arteta in persuading the lad to stay.
Here’s to goals goals goals, more goals and even more goals. Plus more goals.
Great news!! If he had left us it would have forced us to spend 20-40 million on a striker. Now we can use that money to buy Messi and Neymar.
Really split on this one. I like that he stays but he should be a back up skriker on half of the money he’s rumoured to get. He has hardly played for us and I haven’t seen enough of him to warrant the hype he gets and for me he’s had a lot more poor performances than good ones. The nr 14 is just a nummer for some but for me nr 4, 8 and 14 are the ones that should lead the team both in skill and leadership and Eddie has got a long way to go before he… Read more »
Had Nketia got some compromising photos of Arteta stored somewhere? That number 14 shirt is sacred and should only be worn by a special striker. Nketia has done absolutely nothing in an Arsenal shirt so far and still has a massive amount to prove. He should be wearing the 114 shirt! Arteta’s obsession with Nketia is just baffling: he’s bang average. As I’ve sad before, Nketia should be out on loan this season, learning his trade. He’s not good enough to be a regular starter at Arsenal. If we go into the coming season with Jesus and Nketia as our… Read more »
“ That number 14 shirt is sacred”
It’s a number on a shirt. Have a word with yourself.
Totally agree.
This number garbage, and Henry and Vieira worship – get over it people. Its been years – decades even.
I think fats is implying certain shirts have always been reserved for top players, the number ten is iconic at The Arsenal. Liverpool have the number 7 shirt etc. theres no need to get personal.
James Milner wears 7 at Liverpool. They’re just numbers. Who’s the 14 being reserved for. Mbappé.
Truth spoke fats
Fats back at it again. Eddie had a decent run in towards the end of last season and definitely proved alot of us wrong. He can hold the ball up and has the strength and speed required for the Prem. I think this is a shrewd bit of business.
You really don’t know the football.
How ‘sacred’ was the shirt before Henry wore it? Let’s not be insufferable, please.
All the best to Eddie. Hope he sustains the form that won him the renewed contract.
Oh fats.
I agree with you that Nketia has a lot to prove, but if we get Jesus then Nketia will be saved and golden. Trust the Lord 🙏 😂
So does Jesus take the number 9?
Yep.
If he does, we will likely sometimes have a front line, from right to left, of numbers 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. Like the old days. The really old days.
He chose 12, I believe.
I’ll support whoever comes to the club in the end, but I wish it were a player more like Osimhen.
I’m fairly ambivalent about Nketiah resigning however I’m slightly incredulous that he has been given the number 14 shirt. That’s a special number and one he has done nothing to prove he deserves to wear.
If a player “proves” he is worthy of Henry e.g. while wearing #39, why would he then switch to 14 rather than “immortalize” 39?
It’s absurd logic (but that’s where most of the world is at these days).
It’s just a number. If he falls short it will only highlight again how good Henry was. It’s not the number that was good.
Some players have stick to their “original” number and made it their own. Alexander’Arnold’s 66, McTominay’s 39, Foden’s 47… It would have been quite understandable if Eddie kept his #30. But if he is going for a change, and he is getting exactly that number, then he is “asking” for the comparison, not me. Just that, as a difference to when Smith Rowe got the 10, this time I have doubts that the lad is worth it.
No, actually people like you are asking for the comparison. He probably always wanted 14 because he was a fan of TH and now he has the chance to get it. Same reason why my son wanted #7 because of CR7.
And it doesn’t address my point about proving you can wear the #. Or maybe you would prefer to retire the #14 at Arsenal?
I just read to the “people like you” part, sorry.
Since the numbers seem to matter so much to many of you, how about the colour?
I am minimally extremely incredulous that Eddie will get to wear a red and white shirt when he has accomplished nothing. He needs to wear green (I want to save our planet) and purple (always liked purple parrots) until he matches Henry’s stats.
I am also pretty worked up he gets to wear shorts like the rest of the Arsenal squad – shorts!!
I think this turn around has as much to do with balogun’s tepid loan as anything else. At best, he showed he is a couple years away. Then Eddie comes in and shows he can put them in the net. Carrying two young strikers hungry for minutes doesn’t work but Florian should be back in the championship next year
How many goals for our new no.14 next season?
I’m actually satisfied with 14…
…every four matches
Great signing and we clearly saw how effective Eddie is when given a run of games. Well deserved!
Fun Fact,
Saka was with Arsenal from age of 7
ESR from 10
And Nketiah from 14
All have same Jersey number now
Congrats Eddie on new contract!
Now that Eddie is staying, do you guys feel that it should be a target man kind of striker rather than Jesus who we should looking at? That would give us some more variation in attack. Also, with a good crosser like Tierney in the team, it’s rather odd not to have a striker whose strength is getting at the end of those.
Very ambivalent about all of this. I really hope he does well for us but he’s just such an underwhelming player…Southampton level I’d say. Arteta must believe he can do better, that gives me hope.
Not premier league quality. For the sake of the team, I hope he proves me wrong. Balogun is the one.
LANS though innit
Absolute worse case, we can sell him in a year for a good fee and help fund someone better. Best case, he kicks on and becomes a great asset for us. A few of his performances at the end of the season were higher class than I thought he was capable of so I remain open-minded to continued improvement from him. Am I convinced he will be top, top class? No. Do I think he will score a comparatively similar amount of goals given the same opportunities as other second striker options (DCL, Watkins, Toney) and save us £50-70m at… Read more »
You’ve got it exactly right!
Not excited.
Congrats, Eddie. Excel
I don’t get “out of desperation” signing omment some people are making out of this. Yes, Arteta made a huge mistake bringing in Nketia very late to replace Lacazette when he was firing blank. But Arteta has been very vocal about keeping Nketia at Arsenal from the beginning of last season. So to me, this is not a signing made out of desperation. That being said, does Nketia deserves a 5 year contract? Only time will tell. Now he is one of our own and we should be supporting and encouraging him. Hopefully, he has a blast of seasons for… Read more »
5 years has to be standard for promising young players. Otherwise, if they do well, you are sweating on contract status just 2 years in.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JgJ1XOuRHlU
He deserves a chance
Love this. I feel sorry for the people who can be arsed to complain about getting 14. Just take a minute to imagine how it must feel for him to have come back from his loan, written off by so many, get some game time, get his new contact and get that shirt. Wether or not you think he’ll make it in the long run it’s just great to see it happen for him, and here’s hoping it works out. Best of luck to him! COYG
Exactly
At least some good news.
If you look at his underlying numbers on FbRef he has just as much chance to be the break out star as ESR, Martinelli, Ødegaard. His ‘most similar players’ are guys like Jota, Nkunku, Havertz. Proper modern pressing forward. Club has done well to retain him. He’s a very hard working, serious professional. Just watch and see. And stacking the squad with young talent is the way to go. Add to that he’s a Lewisham boy, same as Rocky and Wrighty. If you don’t like that then I really don’t know.
Top post, well said. 👍🍺
I dunno if I’m being super dense, but what is that white shirt he’s wearing in those contract photos? I can’t find it anywhere
I was worried he would leave us, but this story needs a good ending with us. And he does deserve more of a chance. He is Arsenal DNA. And boy, does he work hard for the shirt. Not surprised that the number 14 did the trick (money too I know), he really is ours. Hoping he bangs 20+ this year with more time on the pitch.