Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
Paul Merson says Arsenal have a starlet who’ll only get ‘better and better’
Paul Merson that he would tell Eddie Nketiah to sign a new contract and stay at Arsenal, insisting that he could be a star should he remain at the Emirates.
Nketiah inspired the Gunners to book a spot in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. The 22-year-old scored a hat-trick as Arsenal won 5-1 against Sunderland.
The finishes showcased Nketiah’s poacher instinct, as well as his composure. Certainly, the third goal was an outrageous flick into the bottom corner.
Obviously, some will be wary of getting carried away given Arsenal were coming up against League One opposition. But the game did highlight the kind of potential Nketiah has. And with that, questions about his future are already starting up.
The forward is out of contract in the summer. And previous reports have claimed that he has told the Gunners that he wants to leave. He has struggled for game-time in the Premier League.
The situation surrounding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may yet throw a spanner in the works. And Merson has urged Nketiah to change his mind and fight for his future at Arsenal.
“My advice as a 53-year-old who was here for 14 years, I’d say stick here,” . “Stick here for two, three more years. He’s a kid, he’s got plenty of years left, he’ll only get better and better. You weigh it up, you go somewhere else, you’ll probably get a bottom-half Premier League team working off scraps.
“I know he wants to play football, of course he does. There’s not a lot of 20-year-old kids leading the line in the Premier League at the moment. And that’s the way I would look at it. This kid’s a good player, he should have faith in his ability that he will be a star for Arsenal.”
Too soon for Eddie Nketiah to make final decision on Arsenal future
Nketiah is yet to make the difference often enough in the Premier League. But there is scope for one of the club’s strikers to stamp their authority on that position this season.
Alexandre Lacazette has been superb of late. But his form has been mixed, and his contract ends in the summer. And of course, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Aubameyang. Folarin Balogun meanwhile, is not quite the finished article.
Nketiah needs to step up in the top-flight. But the uncertainty throughout the forwards means it is surely too soon for the youngster to make a final decision on his future.