Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah Transfer Stance Revealed

Arsenal have made their intentions clear on Eddie Nketiah.

The striker conundrum at Arsenal is one of a multitude of issues that continues to grow larger, all being dealt with by a threadbare recruitment department.

It’s just Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang whose future is without doubt based on his long-term contract, with the other three centre-forwards all facing unsure careers in north London.

Alexandre Lacazette has hit form at the right time but is now 29 and has 18 months left on his deal, while Folarin Balogun has just six months left and no less than 15 offers on the table from clubs across the continent.

Then there is Eddie Nketiah, who has the same amount of time left on his deal as Lacazette. Another Hale End graduate, his fleeting inclusions this season have resulted in five goals in 21 outings, although concerns remain over his long-term capabilities within this Arsenal side.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1348227449415491584

Who goes and who stays is added to by who comes in to replace those who leave, although a decision appears to have been made in regards to Nketiah’s immediate future.

As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have ‘no intention’ of selling Nketiah to West Ham this month, who added the 20-year-old to their wishlist following the sale of Sebastien Haller to Ajax.

It had previously been mentioned that the Gunners would be willing to part with the striker if their staggering £30m valuation was met. Given Mikel Arteta is now expected to keep Nketiah, what knock-on effect could that have? Importantly, what happens to Balogun and Nketiah now?

Folarin Balogun Leaving Arsenal

Most evident of all is that the club’s last-ditch efforts to keep hold of Balogun have ended in failure. Even when the speculation strongly suggested that his departure was inevitable, Arteta stood firm and insisted there was a mutual desire from both parties to extend his stay in north London.

Not being included at all for the FA Cup clash added fuel to the exit fires, with the stance on Nketiah seemingly hammering the final nail in the coffin. Having previously stated that as long as Balogun was at the club he’d be given chances to play, a third round tie with Newcastle on home soil would presumably have been the most realistic of all the opportunities.

Even though West Ham are in the midst of a far more enjoyable season than Arsenal, they won’t be considered a direct rival as such, so their reluctance to sell to the Hammers isn’t specific. If they wanted to sell and someone expressed an interest, they’re unlikely to hold back.

That isn’t the stance at this stage, with Nketiah set to assume the backup role to Lacazette for the rest of the season. Perhaps even Aubameyang too if he persists in the centre-forward slot.

With it clear Nketiah is staying until the end of the season at the very least, unless there are plans in place for a summer sale then his value needs protecting. One of Lacazette or Nketiah will leave at the end of the season, along with Balogun, so reinforcements will also be required.

Behind the scenes we need to hope plans are being outlined for the current crop; both short-term, mid-term and with an eye on the long-term future.