Arsenal and Eddie Nketiah: Why I don’t want a loan

This summer, Unai Emery must decide whether to loan out Eddie Nketiah. Here is why I would like to see the young striker stay at Arsenal.

Arsenal have a whole raft of young, burgeoning players who are hoping to take the next step in the difficult journey from prospective academy graduate to first-team contributor. As has been proven time and time again with an inexorable number of cases, the 18-21 period is a critical and extremely challenging one. There have been plenty of players fall by the wayside.

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And at present, there is a wide range of London Hale products that are hoping to navigate these murky waters. Eddie Nketiah is one of them, the centre-forward now 20 and facing perhaps the most pivotal summer of his career.

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Unai Emery has a decision to make regarding Nketiah. Should he be loaned out in search of regular first-team football, something that may be limited in north London with Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the line, or should he remain at the club and learn under two excellent centre-forwards and play when the opportunities arise?

It is a decision that is very much at the forefront of Nketiah’s mind. Speaking to Football.London, the striker said:

"“It was disappointing the loan fell through as I wanted to play every game but my goal is to play for Arsenal. There were talks of a loan in January and of course that’s an option now but it’s not completely down to me.  I need to speak to the manager. At the moment I’m just focusing on going back to Arsenal and giving my all and seeing where it gets me.”"

It is difficult to say with any certainty which is the best course of action for Nketiah and his development, not without the benefit of hindsight. But at present, I would like to see Emery keep the starlet at the club, at least for the first half of the season.

Even as the third-choice striker, there will be plenty of opportunities to play between the start of the season and Christmas. Nketiah could start in all six Europa League group games, may play up to three EFL Cup matches, and could be used as a late substitute in Premier League games. And if there is an injury to either Lacazette or Aubameyang, his playing chances will flourish. Then, in January, if his playing time might reduce in the second half of the season, a loan exit can be secured.

By keeping Nketiah at the Emirates, Emery can better direct his coaching and development, ensuring that he is learning the striker position in the right way, and his chances can be more purposeful and designed, a closer eye kept on the whole process. By loaning someone out, you relinquish control over the player’s progression. Sometimes, that can be a good thing, but for Nketiah, he should be learning the striker position as Emery wants him to.

Moreover, should Nketiah be loaned out, Arsenal would need to find a replacement. It would be most unwise to go into the season with just two strikers, however capable they may be. There would also be no guarantee that Nketiah would start on a regular basis. As we have seen plenty of times in the past, a loan move does not always beget starts.

All in all, I would like to see Nketiah remain in north London for another season. However, fast forward a year and you may find me saying something very different. Hindsight, after all, is a wonderful thing.