Arsenal chief Edu must not let Eddie Nketiah goals sway ruthless transfer stance

Eddie Nketiah scored twice in Arsenal’s remarkable 4-2 win over Chelsea on Wednesday night, but should the Gunners do their utmost to keep hold of the young striker?

For Arsenal, Wednesday night was all about staying in the race for fourth place in the Premier League, but there was also another sub-plot.

Eddie Nketiah’s long-awaited redemption came at a crucial time for Arsenal, giving them a 4-2 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Victory ensured the Gunners are level on points with Tottenham with six games left to play – including one against each other. Confidence had been low going into the match after a run of four defeats from five and a handful of injuries to key players, but the triumph could just prove to be a turning point.

Whether it is for Nketiah personally depends on his contractual situation. Like Alexandre Lacazette, Nketiah is currently set to be out of contract on July 1. Like Lacazette, his situation has been the subject of speculation throughout the season – especially since the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona in January limited Arsenal’s options up front even further.

Nketiah opened up on his frustrations in the build-up to the Chelsea game. “There have been talks and offers of a new contract but at the moment my aim is to play football and play regularly,” he told the Beautiful Game Podcast . “I feel like I’m at the stage where I’ve signed a contract for five years when I was 18 and in that five years, how many starts have I had here? I went on loan for six months and been here for the rest and I have probably started about 30 games maybe in all competitions.”

After he produced two impressive finishes at Stamford Bridge to net his first Premier League goals of the season, Arteta admitted he had regrets about his treatment of Nketiah. “If there is one player that I have been unfair with I think it’s him,” Arteta said post-match.

“He has given me every right to do something different, and if Eddie doesn’t play more, it’s my fault and because as a manager I missed something or I haven’t had the courage to play him more. Today he showed me more how wrong I was.”

But was Arteta really wrong? Should Nketiah have played more football for Arsenal? And should the club be desperate to sign him up to a new contract?

Nketiah has now scored 20 goals in 86 appearances for Arsenal – a total which includes seven in 21 games this season. That is not a bad ratio for a 22-year-old striker who has generally been forced to feed off scraps by coming off the bench.

However, there is an argument that says Arsenal should not be falling over themselves to keep hold of Nketiah this summer. Yes, he is a promising young striker who has rarely let his side down, but the club should have greater aspirations this summer than a player who averages a goal every 162 minutes. If he does not want to accept their offer then perhaps technical director Edu should wish him good luck and send him on his way.

The Telegraph reports that Arteta wants to sign at least four players, including two strikers, in the summer transfer window. With Aubameyang gone and Lacazette ineffective in front of goal, they need to think big.

Arsenal chased Dusan Vlahovic in January before the Serbian striker chose to snub the Gunners for Juventus. If they really have aspirations of re-establishing the club as a Champions League regular then Arsenal need to think along similar lines and spend big money on a top-class centre-forward.

Unfortunately for him, Nketiah is only likely to be a solid young back-up option if he stays put. Four goals from four shots on target against Chelsea represents a freak result, rather than the norm – especially after a run of two goals in the previous five games. To take a step forward Arsenal need to show a ruthless streak.