Mikel Arteta shocked many by letting several Arsenal first team players go in the summer, including some Hale End graduates.
Ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, Arsenal bid farewell to academy duo Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe.
Arteta admitted that offloading Smith Rowe was difficult, as the former Arsenal number ten joined Fulham to kickstart his Premier League journey.
It was equally as surprising to see Nketiah also leave to join Crystal Palace, with the striker departing on the back of several attempts to become a first team regular.
Roy Keane and Ian Wright react to ‘beautiful’ Eddie Nketiah moment
While it’s always a shame to see academy products leave, it was the right moment for Nketiah to close the book on his time at the Emirates.
In his final season, the Englishman scored five goals in the Premier League, with his final contribution being a hat-trick against Sheffield United in October 2023.
At Palace, Nketiah has struggled to get going at Palace but, after 15 months, the 25-year-old found the net again in the Premier League.
On match day 27, the Hale End graduate scored in Palace’s win over Aston Villa, sparking emotional scenes as his teammates celebrated his goal as if it were a last minute winner.
The moment warmed many in the footballing world, including even the coldest of figures, Roy Keane.
“Did you see the players’ reaction to it [the goal], it was beautiful wasn’t it?” Keane said on Stick To Football.
“You can see he’s been struggling going to a new club and it’s not happened for him but that was the fourth goal, the game’s already over, but the reaction of the players was beautiful wasn’t it?”
The infamous pundit’s statement was agreed with wholeheartedly by Ian Wright, who stood by the Arsenal academy graduate amid his struggles.
“It’s nice because they know. As a forward, especially going there, he’s come from Arsenal. The Palace fans are ‘What have we done? What have we bought?’.
“I know that he’s capable of something but he’s got, somewhere in himself, to find it and get it out there. So when you see the players celebrate, they want it for him as well cause when it gets to that kind of form, it’s going to help.”
Nketiah’s record since joining Crystal Palace
It’s been a tough season for Nketiah, who has scored three times in 23 appearances in all competitions.
Not only has the 25-year-old been lacking confidence in front of goal but, has had to put in work to earn consistent minutes for the Eagles.
| Competitions | Matches | Goals | Assists |
| Premier League | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| FA Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| EFL Cup | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 23 | 3 | 1 |
In the Premier League, the striker has earned six starts under Oliver Glasner, which is a shame given that the reason behind his Arsenal exit was the need for game time.
After the highs of scoring his first league goal for Palace, there’s hope that Nketiah can push on and make a name for himself in South London.
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