Arsenal told £100k-a-week star still not good enough despite ‘fabulous’ moment

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BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has admitted that he still has doubts about Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

Eddie Nketiah produced a fine performance on Saturday. The 24-year-old Hale End academy graduate netted his maiden Premier League hat trick, firing Arsenal on their way to a 5-0 win over Sheffield United at the Emirates Stadium. 

Nketiah took each of his goals against the Blades excellently. He set himself up for his first with a wonderful first touch, showed great awareness in the box to tuck away his second, and conjured a stunning long range strike into the top corner to complete his treble of goals.

The £100,000-a-week forward impressed many with his display on Saturday. Even Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham felt compelled to congratulate Nketiah for his magnificent performance. 

For all of the praise that has been heaped on the once-capped England man, there are those who still have their doubts about him.

Garth Crooks is amongst those detractors. Writing in his BBC Sport Team of the Week column, the former Tottenham Hotspur forward said, “Nketiah’s hat-trick has not changed my view, although his third goal was a fabulous strike. If he were to score three goals against Liverpool, Manchester City or Spurs, I might be forced to reconsider my position.”

Mikel Arteta backs Eddie Nketiah

Admittedly, Sheffield United are a struggling side, and did not pose much of a threat to Arsenal. That should not be held against Nketiah, though. He did his job expertly on the day. He does now need to show that he can reproduce this form against tougher opponents on a regular basis, though. 

One man who will be backing the No. 14 to do just that is Mikel Arteta. The Spanish coach has always shown huge faith in Nketiah. Speaking after this match, as quoted by the club’s official website, Arteta said, “to me he is top level. He’s started nine out of our ten Premier League games, so that tells you how much we trust him and the importance he has in the team…you look at the stats – he’s remarkable. He needs minutes, opportunities and service. If he gets that, he’s going to score goals, that’s for sure.”

Arsenal certainly need Nketiah to step up and get goals now, with Gabriel Jesus set for another spell on the sidelines. He needs to show that he can effectively spearhead the Arsenal attack on a regular basis.