Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal: 6 players fighting for their places in the team

By Ross Kennerley

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 18: Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Burnley and Arsenal at Turf Moor on September 18, 2021 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 18: Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Burnley and Arsenal at Turf Moor on September 18, 2021 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Eddie
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 22: Eddie Nketiah celebrates with Cedric Soares of Arsenal after scoring their team’s third goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and AFC Wimbledon at Emirates Stadium on September 22, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

2. Eddie Nketiah

With just a year left on his contract and free to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club as soon as January, the reasons for playing Eddie Nketiah feel very limited. Not least since he’s got Folarin Balogun to compete with, someone who it’s agreed needs the minutes.

So when the AFC Wimbledon clash came around and Nketiah was handed a spot in the starting lineup ahead of Balogun, it became clear that Arteta still feels there is a use for him.

While part of the reason behind his inclusion was his flexibility to be able to play out on the left and his added experience over Balogun, he also grabbed a fine goal on the night and was them steeped in praise by both Alexandre Lacazette and the manager for his work ethic and professionalism despite the ongoing speculation.

Whether or not it’s agreed that Nketiah should be getting minutes ahead of the striker who was chosen ahead of him as part of the future, the point remains that he has a role in the manager’s eyes between now and the end of the season.

Given Aubameyang will be off to AFCON in January, Nketiah will feel there is an opportunity there to sneak ahead of fellow eventual departee Lacazette in the pecking order. While in no way an Aubameyang copy, he shares more traits with the captain than the Frenchman does and will feel there is scope to wrestle his way back into contention.

Continued…

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