There’s an irony given how many players we have given away that Arsenal are digging their feet in over Eddie Nketiah. The Gunners are calling Marseille’s bluff over their interest in the striker, holding out for their 30 million asking price. How they got to that valuation I don’t know. That’s 6 million for every League goal he scored last season.
Of all the talent to play hard ball over we pick someone who has managed 19 Prem goals in 7 years!
Aubameyang, Pepe, Bellerin, Ozil, etc were paid rip up their contracts.
The likes of Lacazette allowed to see out his deal.
So, there’s a certain irony that Edu now chooses to be stubborn for one of the worst players in our squad. Of course, he shouldn’t feel pressured to accept a bid if his estimation is not being met. Again, though I question how he’s got to that figure and if he would invest the same amount for someone with identical stats?
I think the rumoured 23 offer from France is generous, especially at a time where clearly all clubs are spending with caution not wanting to breach FFP rules.
23 million pays for the Merino deal.
This reminds me of a few years ago when it was believed Wolves were willing to give a similar amount for Maitland Niles. We declined and years later he left as a free agent.
Eddie still has a while remaining on his dea,l but what’s the likelihood, he increases his worth?
If the 25-year-old gets double figures this campaign, then we look wise to hold out for more.
Is that going to happen though?
Or will he scoreless then 10 League goals and shine in the occasional Cup tie if the opposition is lower league?
That’s a lot to give up 20 million for.
His last league start was in December while he didn’t make it off our bench in our final 6 fixtures of the title run in.
So clearly Mikel Arteta lost faith? How can a manager not play him for a second in our last 6 matches yet then Edu pretend he’s worth 30 million?
I feel as a fanbase we have had this conversation for too long.
Some Gooners think the definition of a supporter is to never say anything critical about the badge while others give the player more of a chance because he’s graduated from our academy.
Some still claim he’s had a lack of opportunities since making his debut in 2017.
He’s put on the red and white shirt 168 times!
That’s more than enough time for a coach to make the judgement if belong at this level.
The same coaches who see you daily in training.
He’s not a youngster anymore. He’s about to hit his prime years so needs to be playing.
It’s zero disgrace to not be good enough to dance on the stage we want to perform on.
We are talking about finishing above Man City.
The Champions wouldn’t have Eddie Nketiah on their bench.
I’m not sure he starts many sides in England’s top division.
I see some say that Bournemouth are quoting 60 million for Solanke that means we are correct to want 30 for Eddie because Solanke is not worth double then Eddie……
Yes, he is!
For 20 million, I would drive him to the airport.
Dan
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I would want change if i was buying him for 20 quid.
That’s an absolutely ridiculous and insulting comment. He’s an Arsenal player so please show some respect.
To even say £20 as a joke is really disrespectful. Are you even an Arsenal fan?
Grow up
I totally agree!
He won’t be sold.
And I’m sure they won’t buy a top striker either!
Correct 100%. Great article. What does Arteta see in him & yet refuses to put him on the pitch? Great comparison with Ozil,Auba & Lacazette. Of course they were older but they was on mega bucks. Cost us to let 2 go & the other choice just let him see it out. Should of been sold. £27m possibly rising to £34m. £23m for Nkeiteah. £50m quaranted. Wages off the bill…Where’s the logic?
Nkettiah not good enough for our level now and what we want to achieve does not mean he is not good enough for a lower level club. I am sure Solanke is also not good enough for our level now but his club will take nothing less than £50 million if any of the big guys come knocking. What is so hard and difficult to understand In what Arsenal is trying to do by some here? Puzzles me. Well, people and sundry opinions even though wrong.
I agree completely. I think it was a crazy decision to turn down the only offer made for Eddie.
1) Arsenal was reportedly offered £23m for him.
2)There was only one club interested in him.
3) Arsenal apparently valued him at a crazy £50m originally. Common sense prevailed (to an extent anyway) and this was reduced to £30m. So much for “standing firm” on a valuation. Having done it once, Arsenal should have done it again to get the sale done.
4) Arsenal needs the transfer income as there aren’t any other prospective sales coming up – although they still have a lot of players that they’d like to offload in this window.
5) If there are no other bidders now, what happens next? Eddie is unlikely to get many chances (barring injuries) in 2024-25 because that was why he was up for sale. Unless he goes “goal mad” when he gets a few games or is loan out and does the same his value will DECREASE come Summer 2025.
And Alvarez what £70m!
£81.5m reportedly, but the difference is that he was in demand and Eddie, unfortunately, isn’t so when you do receive an offer you need to think more than twice before turning it down.
I am yet to understand why Arsenal won’t accept 23m offered by OlympicM for Nkethiah except it’s a rumor. It’s certain he won’t play ahead of Jesus or Havertz if Arsenal don’t get a new Striker. Why put him on the bench and his value continue to diminish?
I would rather we sign a Jonathan David who scored 24goals in French league ahead of Auba and only bettered by Mbape last season.
Nketiah’s contract will only expire in 2027 and he’s a pretty-skilled homegrown striker
Unlike Smith-Rowe who is injury-prone and can only play well in CAM position, Nketiah rarely gets injured and can play CF/ LW roles pretty well despite his inconsistencies
Julian Alvarez is going to Atletico Madrid with a deal worth 95m, despite playing second-fiddle to several Man City’s key attackers and not being homegrown in England
Arsenal made the correct decision by rejecting Marseille’s offer for Nketiah, because some EPL clubs would most likely make an offer for a skilled English striker like him
@Gai just imagin he isn’t sold this summer don’t you think his value would diminish the more. Not many English sides are willing to pay for his services only top first 10 clubs in Epl can afford him. IMO it would be better to sell him this season than next. For outsiders the homegrown status count for little. He is a good player but Striker wise he is overrated.
He is overrated like many overrated strikers in Europe. Since we are imagining, just imagine he isn’t sold this summer and gets double digit goals this season because Arsenal has a stronger team now and get a deeper run in in the other cup competitions.
But that’s balancing a certainty (of £23m, had Arsenal accepted OM’s offer for him) against a big “what if”. If the “what if” doesn’t happen, his value will go down.
Given Arsenal could do with (needs) money from transfers by the 31 August, I know which I’d take.
But he won’t
The Hammers just paid £27m for the 31-year-old Füllkrug, who’s not homegrown in England
If they paid that for Fulkrug that means Gai Nkethiah isn’t seriously rated. And clubs in Epl may prefere a taller CF.
Dude is a late bloomer and would be likely sold for nothing in the future yet was sold for over £23m. Please Arsenal hold on to Nkettiah for the right amount as we would need all that money to invest sufficiently on the right attacker for us.
Clubs may make an offer but where are they? Eddie has been “out there” in the market and, so far, only OM has done anything.
And even if they do appear, why would they offer more than £23m?
£30m would be a steal for a 24-year-old English striker who’s scored in big EPL games
I’m sure Arsenal have been contacted by other EPL clubs about Nketiah, otherwise they would’ve sold him to Marseille
He scored in three League games last season lol
That’s the point , he’s not skilled
Well said @GAI
Thanks bro
There is of course the possibility that Edu knows more about the current market value of players & as yet unreported interest in Nketiah.
I do know we are leaving it very late. Something is not quite right at HQ. Nketiah should have been sold. Now we will have the same attack as last season as other teams upgrade. August 17th first game…..same team….that is not good enough. What a mistake! The EPL was there for the taking, but showing we are aiming for second means we are the ‘nearly’ men once again, and again, and again and again. ‘If things don’t change they stay as they are’. My old gran said…CHEAP is DEAR. Buy the players we need to win the EPL 😕😟😮😫😪😉😉😉
I would argue that the team that played the last 16 games is more than capable of winning the league tbh mate. 14 wins 1 draw 1 loss is title winning form. The 11 that formed after Christmas played the best football i have seen since the likes of Fabregas and Nasri. What other teams have upgraded? City havent, Liverpool havent. The only clubs that has done good business so far are Man united and Villa but they still miles behind us.
Just clear the dead woods and get in quality players! Eddie should have gone for 20M. KT, Ramsdale and co Should have been gone by now.
Yes, that’s certainly the aim. It’s easier said than done though.
Only ESR has gone for a fee and time is beginning to run out to sell the others (and there are quite a few).
In my opinion, Arsenal needs to be more realistic in what it wants for players if there’s little demand for them. If they’ve an “Alvarez-type” that’s fine, and they’ll get a good price. If there isn’t, then they won’t. The (transfer) market rules!
It was telling in Dan’s article that Nketiah has had 168 appearances.
A shame that he hasn’t quite got what it takes
How many EPL goals/assist did Palmer have before Chelsea got him for over £40 million or Newcastle paying £28 million to Chelsea for Hall with little or insignificant EPL experience. Silly Article about our player like the saying goes, ‘a prophet is not welcomed in his country’, from where I come from, we call is ‘See Finish’.
Palmer played 41 games and there were signs he was a good player
Eddie has played 168 games and has been terrible
Hence the reason I used Palmer and Hall. What do you have to say about Hall? Would love you to justify his price too.
I don’t get your argument mate
Maybe Newcastle and Chelsea think Hall has potential because like you said he hasn’t played enough
We know Eddie is not at this level
Lol! Because he hasn’t played enough? Wow! What informs the potential then? Arsenal also thinks Nkettiah has the potential hence them holding on, and who ever will be willing to pay the said amount for Nkettiah in the future will think he has the potential Arsenal see in him for setting that amount MAYBE? That’s my point and I trust Edu and the rest. Said this already, my not fancying Nkettiah for Arsenal’s level does not mean he is not good enough for another lower club’s level. Dude may not be skillful enough with the best techniques but he is a top professional athlete, a fighter, never complains, good team player, chases down opposing defenders and goalkeepers, never stop running, plays his heart out, EPL experience, can score goals and will easily score double digit league goals every season when he finds his club level and game time. Hence Arsenal’s value on their player.
But these comparisons are worthless. In any market, and this is a transfer market after all, it’s demand that fuels prices.
It’s irrelevant that other clubs got £x million for their players. There was a demand (clubs willing to buy at that price) for those players. There is no demand so far, after OM pulled out, for Eddie.
Does not mean no demand will eventually come and the comparisons are not worthless because it affects how each club will ultimately sell their players to other clubs, the reason why strikers are overatted in current market. If you do no follow the current market inflation rate you keep on losing.
Dan Smith, please remind us all of the clubs that wanted to buy PEA, Pepe, Bellerin and Ozil ?
As for Lacazette, he wasn’t the first to leave The Arsenal on a free, as even during our days at Highbury players were allowed to do that, including some Invincibles.
As for Nketiah, there’s still time for the clubs to come to an agreement, so that will give you time to check the oil in your car 😁
Hope so mate
We get 10 million for him I be happy
Terrible player
I would say he’s worth more that £10m.
I wouldn’t
Good thing you’re not in charge of transfers then.
i think for the first time i agree with dan haha
I am often proved correct lol
Like when you reckoned when was sacked for not getting CL 🤔
*Wenger, not when.
Eddie Nketiah……..the man who put the “Bang” in bang average. If he were not on £100k/week, he might be easier to move. No defender has ever lost sleep wondering how he is going to contain Eddie Nketiah and no defender ever will. He should have been sold years ago. Now he is dead weight on the wage book and the pitch.
Never fancied him for our level, I would love to see him live too, but not for peanuts as in spite of his short falls in technique, this dude is a fighter, never stops chasing opposition defenders, plays out his heart, never complains, a team player, EPL experience, hardly injured, a good professional, can score goals and will easily score double digit league goals every season when he gets his club level and game time.
I beg to differ. If he was an “easy double digit goal scorer when he gets playing time,” he would be getting the playing time that goes to double digit goal scorers.
Wow! Has scored 7 and 4 goals in each of the last two seasons with less than 15 start in both seasons. Dude don’t be sentimental, if he goes to a lower club and gets over 30 starts per season, he will hit double digit goals.
7 and 5
Yeah that’s terrible
That was how some here mocked Laca and Balogun until they both went to France and scored over 20 league goals.
Its a massive drop off in quality from the epl to ligue 1. Of course the numbers for middle-tier forwards like Laca and Balogun will be inflated there.
Which club is coming for him again, and from which country? By the way he’s scored 7 and 5 in each of the last two seasons with less than 15 starts. What will happen when he gets over 30 starts per season in a lesser club?
Arsenal’s management faces a classic ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ situation regarding Eddie Nketiah. They’re likely to face criticism from fans regardless of their decision:
If they sell Nketiah below their asking price, critics will claim Arsenal can’t negotiate effectively in the transfer market.
If they retain Nketiah due to not receiving their desired fee, they risk season-long criticism for failing to offload a player deemed inadequate, potentially leaving the team short of quality strikers for multiple competitions.
In my opinion, Arsenal should prioritize moving Nketiah on, even if it means accepting a lower transfer fee. He’s clearly not the preferred option up front, which suggests his playing time will be limited barring injuries to players like Gabriel Jesus. This approach would free up resources and playing time for potentially more impactful additions to the squad
I think it’s more mate that if we turn down say 25 million , that’s fine if Eddie then plays like a 30 million striker
There is zero point turning down 25 million and then he sits on the bench and only starts in the Carabo Cup.
Agree. I don’t know of any other player in our squad who has plateaued so soon in terms of development. Every time he plays, he does the same things every game, good or bad.
Exactly Dan.
I will definitely criticize selling him for less Daulat.
I would do the same if we didn’t secure a superior replacement for Nketiah. To his credit, his fitness is commendable – he’s consistently available throughout the season. However, as a shorter striker, he lacks the necessary guile, decision-making, and creativity to excel.
If Nketiah were taller, say 6’2″ or 6’3″, I’d advocate keeping him. That extra height, combined with muscle mass, would make him a formidable presence in the box. As it stands, he’s neither a physical powerhouse nor tactically astute like Aguero or Lautaro Martinez.
Lol! Because he hasn’t played enough? Wow! What informs the potential then? Arsenal also thinks Nkettiah has the potential hence them holding on, and who ever will be willing to pay the said amount for Nkettiah in the future will think he has the potential Arsenal see in him for setting that amount MAYBE? That’s my point and I trust Edu and the rest. Said this already, my not fancying Nkettiah for Arsenal’s level does not mean he is not good enough for another lower club’s level. Dude may not be skillful enough with the best techniques but he is a top professional athlete, a fighter, never complains, good team player, chases down opposing defenders and goalkeepers, never stop running, plays his heart out, EPL experience, can score goals and will easily score double digit league goals every season when he finds his club level and game time. Hence Arsenal’s value on their player.
Arsenal also thought there was value in giving him 100-000 pound a week and have got that wrong
Will score double digits ?
Not in the Prem he won’t
Hence why over 20 million is a bid we should take
Why was giving him £100k per week wrong ? You probably would’ve have preferred him leaving on a free, as that would’ve given you another reason to dig out the club.
Why was giving him 100-000 pound a week wrong ?
Because he’s not very good at football lol
So you would’ve let him leave for zilch then 🙄
I would never have let him run his contract down
In his last 12 months I would get any money for him I could because as I said at time , it was obvious he was terrible
If I had a choice between him leaving for free or 100-000 pound a week yeah I would have yo let him go for free
But it’s opinions mate
If you think he’s justified that salary then good for you
So you’ve would’ve left us short for a striker then. Something else for you to moan about in another article.
You say leave us short
I’m sure we could find someone in the market to make up for his 5 league goals lol.
Don’t you think the club thought about that, and realised we then would’ve broken the FFP rule, unless it was someone on a free 🙄
Nah
Instead of spending 35 million on Vieria you get a striker .
That’s why man fans question our transfer business
Or the 100-000 grand a week you save you keep Lacca instead
Lots of options
What’s your argument then, you want Arsenal to keep Eddie or not?
You think it’s a mistake if he leaves ?
No, I think he should go, but at, or very near, the price the club wants for him. Simples
Yeah so you agree he’s not good enough lol
I’ve never said he is good enough 🙄
Cool
Very.
So after signing one striker for £45m, you expect the club to let Nketiah leave for free and then spend £35m on another striker. Tell me which striker do which striker could we have signed for that fee, and what his wages would have been ?
I mean giving him the new contract at least preserved his resell value (case in point the 23 million offer from Marseille). As for getting any money for him that you could then whats wrong with the current strategy.
1) Kept Nkeitah his current value is at least 23 Million (they value him at 30), he’s been on 100k wages last 2 years but we maintain his value and his place in the squad
2) Sold him which would have likely been for ~10-15 kill probably closed to the lower end. Would not have his contributions (limited) or salary on the book.
Frankly the first option is the one Arsenal went with and was probably the correct call. Neither Nkeitah as a player nor his salary would have prevented arsenal from making a transfer for another striker. Frankly Gabby J salary would be more of an obstacle.
Omg Dan…..🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣you are so right.
Well it’s kind of obvious
Sell Nketia and get a player who is up to it. C’mon FGS.
We are even lucky to have a club willing to pay 23m for Nketia. That guy has seen a lot of chances by all arsenal coaches. If Balogun was given half the chances given to Nketia, he would have tripled Nketia’s goals record. Pls we need a serious striker if we really want to win the league. Every top club needs a top striker. Man City are presenting Haaland and we are presenting Nketia, yet we want to win the EPL. The most annoying thing is that we even gave no. 14 jersey to this guy!
I tend to agree with those who are negative about Nketiah. He has never terrorised any defence. A good Championship player is about his mark. He seems unable to make that final step. The one that is dominant and strikes fear into the opposing centre backs. I can never imagine Van Dijk not getting a good nights sleep knowing he faces Nketia the following day.
I think he has to go and the sooner the better.