Arsenal: Eddie Nketiah is one unfortunate missing link

Arsenal are raining chances on their young starlets, but Eddie Nketiah remains isolated in his lack of opportunity. Will that change now?

It’s one thing to have a ton of young players with talent galore, but if they are all buried and lacking in opportunity, then what good does it really do? Arsenal have been in both situations. Up until recently, they have struggled with buried young stars like Kelechi Nwakali and Jeff Reine-Adelaide, but nowadays, things are different.

With so much senior talent, it’s hard to work in youngsters, yet we are still seeing plenty of game time for the likes of Guendouzi, Smith Rowe, Maitland-Niles (as he returns from injury) and, of course, Reiss Nelson, who is tearing things up in the Bundesliga.

Even guys like Rob Holding and Alex Iwobi, who would otherwise be further outside the spectrum, are finding regular time and proving themselves up to the task. Because how will you ever know what they can do if you don’t let them try to do it?

The only person, and I mean only, who can’t seem to buy himself any playing time is Eddie Nketiah. Which I find to be remarkable, because as of last year, I found him to be the most exciting player that the Gunners had in their ranks.

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We talk a lot about instincts, and how you can’t teach them. It’s what has drawn me and so many others to Aaron Ramsey. Nketiah has that same instinct. And he’s shown it. His ability to “sniff out goals” is something truly remarkable and it transcends any other skills he might or might not have.

But he does have them. He’s fast, he’s determined, he’s an incredibly hard worker. The Sun has just run a pretty stellar piece about the similarities between him and Ian Wright.

And they also make the point that so many others have been making, myself included, and that I would like to make again – Nketiah has to be the one that gets the green light in wake of Danny Welbeck’s injury. I trust Nketiah more than I do the transfer window, and to bury him further with another signing would indicate – to me at least – that his time just won’t come.

He’s already given us a taste of what he can do in the Premier League last year. Now I want to see him given the opportunity that Smith Rowe has been given.