Mikel Arteta is making full use of his Arsenal squad this season with the Gunners fighting for their first Premier League title in 19 years. And on Monday night in the FA Cup third-round trip to Oxford United we saw that the Spaniard has one player in particular who has been enjoying getting more game time in recent weeks.
After a first half to forget, Arsenal showed their class in the second as a brace from Eddie Nketiah and a goal from Mohamed Elneny booked their place in the fourth round, in which they will face their title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Striker Nketiah was given a lot of praise for his brace, coming as it did at a time when he is Arsenal’s only recognised centre-forward in the absence of Gabriel Jesus. At such a critical point in Arsenal’s modern history, Nketiah is undergoing his biggest test at the club. He has been sharp when given the chance to play, but in truth he has seen very little regular football over the last couple of seasons.
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He took both his goals against Oxford well and his tally for the season in all competitions now stands at seven. Some would say that he is not ready to lead a title charge but with the support around him he can certainly play his part as Arsenal continue to grow as a team week on week.
Nketiah is a natural goalscorer, which former Arsenal forward turned pundit Ian Wright constantly points out - he is the record goalscorer for England Under-21s after all.
Wright has long been in Nketiah’s corner and has taken the young forward under his wing. He has always felt Nketiah can fulfil his potential at the Emirates Stadium. Even after Gabriel Jesus’ arrival in the summer, Wright thought the Brazilian would be as much a benefit for Nketiah as he would be a challenge.
Following his performance at the Kassam Stadium, Nketiah was praised by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. “He's been patient when he needed to be but as well he's been with the right mindset and preparing himself for this moment.
"That's why I think he looks ready and why he's performing the way he is. He showed great composure.
"He's a great finisher, the timing of his runs and the decision-making in waiting until the last moment when the keeper was committed shows his quality.
"His understanding, his work-rate, I think he's getting better and better."
This follows a scene from Arsenal’s 'All or Nothing' documentary series covering the 2021-22 season. Arteta told Nketiah that he would eventually get game time, and while he did play more towards the end of the season Nketiah has been back in a watching role for much of this campaign.
Nketiah joined Leeds United on loan in the Championship in 2019-20 but failed to hit the heights expected of him, and since that time he has stayed in north London with his development being overseen by Arteta. The manager's approach of making Nketiah better by keeping him in the same environment and surrounded by top-class players has clearly worked in terms of what the player has delivered when called upon.
It is fair to assume that Arteta has adopted such a stance from his mentor Pep Guardiola. The City boss took a similar course of action with Phil Foden as a youngster. Many people thought a loan move away would be best for the attacker's development given an initial lack of game-time, but Foden is now playing regularly at club and international level, and it looks like Guardiola made the right call.
Nketiah has spent the past two-and-a-half seasons working behind the scenes at Arsenal, and it is starting to pay off. The forward has got to know his coach and his philosophy much better and all the work he has been putting into training has prepared him to fill the void left by Jesus. Since the start of 2021-22, Nketiah has scored 17 times in 24 starts in all competitions for the Gunners and he will keep improving the more minutes he gets.
Arsenal may look to bolster their forward options this month in the transfer window, but even if they do add another striker there can be no doubting that Nketiah will remain as ready as ever to make a huge impact in north London.
