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‘I’d love him to stay’: Ian Wright admits there’s a player he really hopes doesn’t leave Arsenal
Ian Wright that he would love Eddie Nketiah to stay with Arsenal now.
Nketiah’s future at the Emirates Stadium has been heavily speculated about with the striker having just months remaining on his current deal.
Rather than exit with a whimper, Nketiah is currently showing his best form in an Arsenal shirt to date.
On fire
The 22-year-old has been given a run of starts by Mikel Arteta, and is really proving his worth now.
He hit both goals in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Leeds yesterday to further cement his place in their starting line-up, ahead of Alexandre Lacazette.
And Wright suggests that Nketiah now may have a real decision to make if Arsenal to do go on and make it into the Champions League.
“It’s a great dilemma for him,” Wright said. “I listened to him on the Beautiful Game podcast and he’s saying I’ve not had a run, I’ve not even had three games on the spin.
“If I can get three games in a row and I’m not doing it then I totally understand people saying I’m not ready, but he says just give me a run of games.
“If he can continue to score goals that are going to fire Arsenal into fourth then you have to say to yourself if he did leave Arsenal, he’s going to be playing Champions League.
“If he did leave Arsenal where’s he going that he’s going to be playing Champions League? He’s in a great position to stay. I’d love him to stay.”
Sticking around?
Nketiah has always suggested that he wants to play regularly.
While he is getting the opportunity now, it does seem likely that Arsenal will invest in landing a striker in the summer, which could knock him back down to second choice.
Of course, if Arsenal make it into Europe’s elite competition then Nketiah may still get plenty of game time.
But it will be a real decision for the young forward to make his mind up over whether his progress would better be served by being the main man elsewhere, especially as his recent form suggests that he is more than capable of performing at Premier League level.
Arsenal are currently in fourth spot, and a win over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday would secure their spot in the Champions League for next term.