ONCE again the Arsenal faithful find themselves divided – this time on the future of Eddie Nketiah.
The young striker appears set to perform a contract U-turn after a successful run in the team, and could accept a new deal at the club.
Mikel Arteta has previously spoken very highly of the 22-year-old, but has finally backed it up by giving him a prolonged chance in the starting XI.
Most fans don’t see Nketiah as Arsenal’s long-term No9, and want the club to sign a big name striker this summer
But many would like to see Eddie stick around as a squad rotation option.
Whether he deserves the rumoured £100,000-a-week deal he is being offered is an entirely different matter.
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Arsenal fans have finally seen their team clear the wage bill by getting rid of high earners like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Willian and Mesut Ozil in recent years.
So handing Nketiah such a contract raises concerns that the club could be about to repeat past mistakes.
On the other hand, with Europa League football added to Arsenal’s schedule next season, Arteta will have to be smart about how he rotates his squad.
Not having to purchase a new forward to help ease the burden on a new No9 wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world – and could even save funds to strengthen elsewhere.
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Personally, I would like to see Nketiah stay and fight for his place.
With his exceptional, record-breaking form for England at youth level, we have seen glimpses of what he could do in an Arsenal shirt.
I used to believe that, while Nketiah is an ice-cool finisher, he lacked the ability to play up top on his own.
But after seeing him bulk up and occupy defenders, I now have faith that he can play the role of lone target man effectively.
The World Cup may play a big factor in Nketiah’s decision.
Having starred for England’s Under-21s, he now looks set to declare his allegiance to Ghana, captained by his Arsenal team-mate Thomas Partey.
With the Black Stars having qualified for Qatar later this year, Nketiah will want to start next season with a bang in order to peak at the tournament.
Whether it would be better for him to be a squad player at Arsenal, or to be starting regularly elsewhere, remains to be seen.
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But being involved with the Gunners in any capacity would surely make him a shoo-in to start in Qatar.
I would not be surprised to see an official contract announcement from Arsenal in the coming days, quickly followed by another from the Ghanaian FA.
