The moment we all feared and a big reason why any long-term title challenge is unrealistic.
Our manager has hinted that the niggle that saw Jesus not travel to Norway in midweek as a precaution might be serious enough for him to be absent this weekend.
That makes Sunday potentially a massive game in the career of Eddie Nketiah, ironically against the club he helped gain promotion while on loan at Elland Road.
Eddie has got two goals in the Europa League, but now on 100,000 pound a week he can’t keep building a reputation on scoring against minnows in the cup competitions.
Yet how many predicted that was where his main source of goals would come from?
5 years on since his Arsenal debut, over 100 appearances and now 23, he can’t keep hiding behind youth and potential.
The reason why I had so much problem with his salary is because for that wage you should be able to trust the player to be an adequate replacement .
Instead, we still don’t know if Eddie can consistently score at this level. I guess 100,000 pound a week doesn’t get you much these days.
You can’t blame Martinelli’s and Saka’s agent asking for figures in the region of 200,000, when their clients are twice the player of someone on 100,000 pounds a week.
Nicholas Bendtner used to excel against minnows such Molde, Zurich, etc and yet was mocked for earning so much.
We all want an academy graduate to progress, but if we are honest has anyone in our history every earnt so much without doing anything.
It’s not an insult to say he might not be good enough for the levels we want to reach, not when you consider the ambitions, we are told the club have.
Eddie did manage a few goal poaching goals in last season’s run in, but only in three games, one of which was on the final day when the pressure was off.
Arsenal had decided to give away Aubameyang without buying a replacement. As Auba scored goals in Spain, that one decision cost us a spot in the Champions League.
It’s not as black and white as the striker getting a tap in and I’m proven wrong.
That was Eddie’s chance.
Compared to Ian Wright, the moment Wright got his opportunity he made it count. Eddie let the moment pass him by.
In 2022 your centre forward has to do so much more. Press, hold up the ball, link up with others, move around.
I’m yet to see the personality from Eddie that he truly believes he can do that on this stage.
He’s like a competition winner, grateful to be here and certainly chuffed that he’s making the money he is.
When he came on in the NLD I knew there would be no more goals.
Again, I’m judging this on the standard of winning a title. Is Eddie that calibre of player?
If it were me, I play Martinelli through the middle, but you can’t be paying a player that much money and then not be trusting him.
If Jesus can’t play against Leeds this is a chance for Eddie to take the baton. Will he drop it or run with it?
Dan Smith
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