Arsenal fans now urged to put faith in 24-year-old ace amid ‘concerning’ situation

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Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin has spoken out in defence of Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

Eddie Nketiah has been in very mixed form so far this season. The Arsenal striker recently netted his first ever Premier League hat trick against Sheffield United. However, he was largely anonymous up front against Newcastle United last time out.

With Gabriel Jesus injured, Nketiah is the only out-and-out striker currently available to Mikel Arteta. As such, there is plenty of pressure on the 24-year-old Hale End academy graduate to deliver.

Pat Nevin believes that Nketiah is the right man for the job at the Emirates Stadium. Speaking on the BBC’s Football Daily, he said, “they have got a few injuries and that is a bit concerning but I still think there’s enough quality players in that squad to give him chances. And do you know what, it doesn’t matter if he’s [Nketiah] a squad player or anything, he is a natural goalscorer.”

“And natural goalscorers, it doesn’t matter what level they play at, if you put a ball between them and they’ve got a goal in front of them and half a chance, they tend to score and he’s shown that he can do that.”

Eddie Nketiah has to prove his worth at Arsenal right now

Nketiah now needs to show that he can deliver in front of goal consistently. There is no doubting his work rate, but there have to be doubts over his ability to fire Arsenal to a Premier League title triumph. Jamie Carragher certainly believes that the north London club need to sign a new striker if they are to surpass Manchester City in that sense.

Nketiah has a huge opportunity at this time. If he can show that he is the man that Arteta can rely upon to provide a regular goal threat then he will be able to take his career and reputation to new heights. With EURO 2024 coming in the summer, the once-capped England man has every reason to try to impress.

If Nketiah can’t show in the coming weeks that he has what it takes, then Arsenal must address this shortcoming in their squad in the upcoming January transfer window. Arteta may want to wait until the summer before launching a bid for Ivan Toney, but Arsenal’s need for a top class new striker could soon become far more pressing than that.