Arsenal: Nketiah in good hands with Lacazette and Aubameyang

Eddie Nketiah has not been playing as regularly at Arsenal as he or any of us would like, but with two world class strikers ahead of him, it’s not so bad.

Eddie Nketiah had his dream come true when he netted twice against Norwich City in a 2-1 win in the Carabao Cub after coming on as a substitute in the 85th minute. Nketiah was able to score with his first touch, following a corner and then put through a clean header during extra time, which would see Arsenal through to the next round.

Many would see this as his big break and it ultimately lead to the signing of a new long term contract in December after impressing early on in the season. With only one Premier League appearance as a substitute, most of the youngsters game time have come in the Europa League, all as substitutes.

Whilst he is yet to start a game with the senior squad, he has most certainly made his mark in the U23’s, netting a total of 10 goals in 12 appearances and managing to register 2 assists.

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While things looking very well for the youngster, the first team squad was visibly struggling to make ends meet in various competitions. A number of losses would result to younger players not being implemented in the team due to the high level of risk involved. This would see the likes of Reiss Nelson, Nketiah and other youngsters not feature as much, particularly when the competitions start to go into the crucial stages.

Though the lack of game time for the young striker though may not be a bad thing as he often finds himself on the bench. Sitting on the Bench, he has the pleasure of witnessing 2 world class strikers play in Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, allowing him to learn from two strikers that are at an international level.

Both players records are quite extraordinary, Aubameyang’s individual efforts resulting in an African player of the year in 2015, topping Yaya Toure, and also a Bundesliga player of the year for 2015-16, whilst Lacazette winning the Ligue 1 player of the year in the 2014-15 season, ending the year as top goalscorer.

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Lacazette has already scored nine goals in all competitions for the Gunners, while Aubameyang has opened his account well, managing to net three goals in five Premier League appearances.

Nketiah has recently made public what he is learning from the two during training, revealing he watches their movements in training and that he is trying to “Pick up a few things from them” and also describing them as “two of the best.”

Ideally, as fans, we’d like to see the young former Chelsea Youth player play alongside the two or one of the two so he could gain experience on field with them and form a partnership. It isn’t the worst thing in the world keeping him on the bench to watch how two very good players make their runs, take their chances and how they integrate with the player makers around them, most notably, Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitariyan.

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Hopefully Nketiah receives his first start for the club before the end of the year, as many fans enjoy watching the talented youngster play. But with a long term contract recently singed, maybe the manager is taking his time to nurture him to be the future number 9 of the club.