Arsenal parted ways with several homegrown players in the summer including striker Eddie Nketiah, who is impressing at his new club.
Nketiah moved to Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day for an initial fee of £25m, which could rise to £30m.
The 25-year-old started last season superbly, scoring Arsenal’s first goal of the 2023-24 campaign and even earning an England call-up, but he fell down the pecking order as Kai Havertz began thriving as a centre-forward.
Nketiah’s last start for Arsenal came in a 2-1 defeat to Fulham on New Year’s Eve, and despite making several substitute appearances since, he could not get back into the team.
The attacker scored his first goal for Crystal Palace in just his second start, as he opened the scoring in his side’s Carabao Cup victory away at QPR with a low driven finish, but he was not playing his usual role as a number nine.
Eddie Nketiah scores first Crystal Palace goal as a number 10
Despite establishing himself as a penalty box striker at Arsenal, Nketiah has surprisingly been used as a number 10 at Palace under Oliver Glasner.
Nketiah’s strengths lie in his speed, movement and finishing ability, so to see him used in a role behind striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was surprising, but it appears to suit him.
Mikel Arteta never used Nketiah behind the striker. He occasionally moved over to the left wing, but he was otherwise deployed in a role which would see him attack the box.
The Englishman completed 24 of his 30 attempted passes, created one chance and fired in two shots, as he got on the ball more than he would have as a lone striker.
Speaking after the game, Crystal Palace manager Glasner explained why he used Nketiah in a different role.
“He’s very involved in the game. He’s not the pivot like in basketball; he’s not waiting with his body because he doesn’t have a body like a 190cm number nine,” he stated of Nketiah.
“He’s so smart in finding the space. He can play as a No 9 and a 10 and, when we switched to a 4-4-2 against Leicester, he played around the striker.
Nketiah’s instinctive movement helps him succeed as a striker, and Glasner has highlighted how this can help him at Palace.
“He has such a good feeling (for the game). Sometimes he needs to stay in the pocket and then make the run in behind; when Ebs (Eze) put a chip over, he ran in behind and then he was waiting for the cutback when T (Tyrick Mitchell) gave him the pass for the second chance,” he added.
“These are different situations, but he has a feeling to make the right decisions.”
Eddie Nketiah has thrived since Arsenal exit
As a lone striker at Arsenal, it became apparent that Nketiah did not suit what Mikel Arteta demands from his forwards. Compared to Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, Nketiah was better-suited as an attacker inside the box, rather than a false nine who roams and contributes in the buildup.
However, Glasner has now spotted the potential for Nketiah to play deeper, with Mateta providing the physicality in the penalty area, and Nketiah’s movement helping Eberechi Eze thrive as a creator.
Nketiah could now develop into a more complete forward, and regular game time should help him thrive over the course of the season. He is already earning rave reviews, and it is clear that his Arsenal exit was beneficial for him to begin a new chapter of his career.
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