A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as Ally McCoist tells Mikel Arteta which player could cost the Gunners the Premier League title amid a comparison with Harry Kane.
Eddie Nketiah will not win Arsenal the 23/24 Premier League title
Scotland icon McCoist has warned Arsenal that they will not win the Premier League title in 2023/24 if Arteta has to rely on Eddie Nketiah. Even though he ‘likes’ the 24-year-old, hopes of top-flight glory in north London will be slim as the forward does not deliver enough goals.
Nketiah is currently the Gunners’ second-best scorer in the Premier League this season with five goals. Only Bukayo Saka has scored more goals for the Emirates Stadium team with six so far this term. But Nketiah has only found the back of a net in three of his 19 appearances.
Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 on the opening day of the term after Nketiah’s first goal this season. He also scored in their 2-2 draw with Fulham in matchweek three. But the one-cap England striker has only scored against Sheffield United since after bagging a hat-trick.
Sheffield United visited north London back on October 28, with Nketiah featuring in nine of Arsenal’s 10 top-flight games since. So, if Arteta has to rely on the Arsenal academy product leaning the line in Gabriel Jesus’ void, McCoist fears for the team’s Premier League title bid.
McCoist told talkSPORT: “I like Nketiah but I don’t think he will win you the league, though. “He’ll score goals, and I think he’ll chip in a fair amount. But if you’re talking about Arsenal wanting the league, I don’t think they’re going to do it with Eddie Nketiah as their No9.”
Read more about what McCoist has had to say about Arsenal and Nketiah, here.
Arsenal question signing Ferdi Kadioglu if it blocks Jorrel Hato
Arsenal question signing Ferdi Kadioglu of Fenerbahce this January if his transfer may block the team’s pursuit of AFC Ajax gem Jorrel Hato. That is according to HITC Football’s transfer expert Graeme Bailey, who has told Arsenal Insider that the Gunners are in a tricky position.
Arteta would like the north London club to strengthen his left-back options but FFP concerns restrict the Spaniard’s budget. Kadioglu is one target whom Arsenal are considering, though, with Hato unavailable this month. Yet Arteta would have to convince Kadioglu over a switch.
Kadioglu could seek assurances over his game time to leave Fenerbahce mid-season, having featured 27 times this term so far. The 24-year-old would have to fight Oleksandr Zinchenko for minutes at Arsenal, though. While Sabah reports Kadioglu would cost €20m (£17m), too.
But spending what Fenerbahce will want for Kadioglu’s transfer could block Arsenal from an attack on Ajax for Hato this summer. Arteta also appreciates the 17-year-old, for whom any transfer to Arsenal does appeal, as Hato can feature as a centre or left-back and is a leader.
Read more about what Bailey has had to say about Arsenal’s interest in Kadioglu, here.
Arsenal gem Mika Biereth likens himself to Erling Haaland and Harry Kane
Arsenal academy talent Mika Biereth believes he is a ‘worse hybrid’ of Harry Kane and Erling Haaland. The 20-year-old claims he has a similar style to the Bayern Munich and Manchester City strikers combined. But the forward admits he is not yet on the powerhouse pair’s level.
Biereth enjoyed a strong first half of the season on loan at Motherwell after scoring six goals and laying on five assists in 14 Premiership games. He instantly found his groove in Scotland to net and create on his debut. The youngster also bounced back from a lengthy knee injury.
Motherwell lost Biereth from August to October but he returned to score in both of his first two games back. His displays in Scotland tempted Arsenal to recall Biereth, as well, with the forward moving to Austrian Bundesliga team SK Sturm Graz for the remainder of the season.
Arteta is yet to afford Biereth a senior appearance at Arsenal but has named the ex-Fulham prospect on their bench four times to date. The Denmark U21 international’s confidence is also clearly high after comparing himself to main attributes that Kane and Haaland provide.
Biereth told The Athletic: “If you can’t win the physical fight, you’ve got to win the mental fight. If I can’t pin him every time, then I’ve got to be smarter with my movement.
“Floating in unmarked is important. If you try to fight the centre-back, everything becomes more difficult… Sometimes you have to be physical, like with the header I scored against St Johnstone at home. Sometimes you do have to just jump higher.
“I’d say I’m a worse hybrid of Kane and Haaland. I like to run in behind like Haaland and try to do what Kane does in the way he combines with his teammates.”
Read more about what Arsenal gem Biereth has had to say about Kane and Haaland, here.
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