Arsenal: Eddie Nketiah loan the only possible outcome

Arsenal are reportedly raring up to send Eddie Nketia out on loan to Bristol City for the season. This is the only outcome for the young man that would have made any sense.

Eddie Nketiah has been on the cusp of first team play for a couple years now, as he continues to thump home the goals, but now reports are rolling in that Arsenal are looking to loan him out, with Bristol City leading the charge for the young man’s services.

Arsenal recently promoted four youngsters to the first team, of which Nketiah was one, but he always seemed the least viable option to make an immediate impact on the club. Not at any fault of his own, but just because the opportunity isn’t there.

For Joe Willock, the opportunity is abundantly there, especially with Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan potentially leaving the club, but even if not, they are severely out of favor (and overpaid…) and Willock should have every opportunity to thrive.

The same can be said of Emile Smith Rowe, with the young, versatile attacker striking me as the most viable solution, particularly given his ability to rotate rolls in the attack and move to whatever position is most needed, whether that be as a No. 10 or wide.

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And not much needs to be said about Reiss Nelson, who should be given top priority to lock down the right wing role. He’s been outspoken about how much he’s grown since the Hoffenheim loan, and would be a massive lift if he could just click in the first team right away and spare us the stress of having to worry as much about our winger situation.

But this opportunity isn’t there for Nketiah. Even with midweek matches on the docket, if Unai Emery gets his way and plays with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, majority of the time we won’t be using Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette side by side. They’ll be used interchangeably, similar to this past year.

That leaves midweek matches to one of the two and eliminates the need for someone like Nketiah.

That all changes next summer though, when the duo could face a potential break-up from reshuffling, giving Nketiah the opportunity he needs. He just needs to establish himself in a first team before then.

Moves like these are never going to be as exciting as a transfer, it should still be viewed as a move for the future of the club, and a testament to the value that this youth outfit is churning out these days.