New Crystal Palace manager and former Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira is pursuing a deal for the Gunners’ England U21 international Eddie Nketiah, reports The Sun.
The centre-forward barely kicked a ball for Arsenal’s first team in the second half of the campaign. With a year left on his current deal, the North London outfit are willing to cash on him.
After Folarin Balogun was handed a long-term contract extension, it became pretty much clear that manager Mikel Arteta saw the American-born English as an integral part of the furniture. When Alexander Lacazette was injured at the latter stages of the last campaign, and captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was recovering from malaria, the former Manchester City assistant coach entrusted Gabriel Martinelli instead of the Englishman.
EXCLUSIVE: Eddie Nketiah one of two strikers Patrick Vieira wants in new-look Crystal Palace attack | @reluctantnicko https://t.co/gkTRcYdkga
— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) July 10, 2021
The 22-year-old thus appears likely to leave, after rejecting a contract extension from the club a few weeks back, which was handed to preserve his market value.
Around five clubs are interested in acquiring the services of Eddie Nketiah
The Arsenal faithful will have little to no complaints about Eddie Nketiah leaving because the English striker has hardly been impressive, even though he had a few good moments. The striker is maybe not cut out to be at the level of the four-time Premier League winners.
Nketiah has made 65 appearances for Arsenal and has scored an underwhelming 13 goals. Even though he looks surplus to requirements in London, it does not mean he has any fewer suitors this summer.
Several German and English clubs have already contacted the player’s camp, in the hopes of acquiring his services at a cut-price deal due to his contractual situation.
But the appeal to play for Patrick Vieira at fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace might just prove too tempting. Vieira was part and parcel of one of the greatest Arsenal teams that went onto lifting the Premier League title unbeaten in the 2003/04 season.
With the Arsenal striker looking for a spark in his club career, Vieira might just turn out to be the perfect manager for the young Englishman.
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Personal Viewpoint on Eddie Nketiah leaving this summer :
If Arsenal can manage to mint anywhere around the 15-20 million pounds, it will be a great deal. But the Gunners should also try adding a sell-on clause in the deal to avoid losing a talented player on a discounted price. Eddie Nketiah still has massive potential and he might just be a late bloomer, like the current England captain Harry Kane.
Although it’s hard imagining Nketiah at that level, he certainly has all the qualities to become a poacher inside the 12-yard box. With Arsenal going through a massive summer rebuild, Nketiah is the type of player they should be cashing in to fund their main targets.
