Surprise stat shows Arsenal made right call over Eddie Nketiah after Spurs bid for Dominic Solanke

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Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah appears ready to leave the club this summer, but so far no move has materialised.

Arsenal rejected a series of offers from French side Olympique Marseille, but talks have now reopened after they failed to meet Nketiah’s valuation.

Some Arsenal fans questioned whether this was the right move, as the risk of no one meeting Nketiah’s asking price remains, but Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have decided to firmly stick to their valuation of over £30m.

Arsenal were recently linked with a move for Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, but rivals Tottenham Hotspur now appear on the verge of completing a deal which could total an astonishing £65m.

Solanke has previously had failed spells at Chelsea and Liverpool, but sprung into life last season under Andoni Iraola. However, despite his strong campaign last season, Arsenal will be even more confident that their valuation over Nketiah is entirely fair.

Eddie Nketiah’s Premier League stats are similar to Dominic Solanke

Nketiah started last season superbly, earning a call-up to the England squad, but fell down the pecking order after Kai Havertz started thriving as a number nine.

The 25-year-old ended last season with five goals and two assists in 27 appearances in the Premier League, but he started just 10 of these games.

Nketiah played for just 1072 minutes in the league, and with seven goal and assists, this averaged out at a contribution every 153 minutes.

Solanke appeared in every single Premier League game last season, starting 37 of them, and did score an impressive 19 goals, whilst also providing three assists.

However, when averaging his 22 goal and assists out over the 3333 minutes he played, he provided a contribution every 151 minutes, a near identical record to Nketiah.

Solanke is almost two years older than Nketiah, and was the focal point and key starter for Iraola, compared to Nketiah’s role as a substitute more often than not, and the conditions were set for the Bournemouth striker to thrive.

Eddie Nketiah could have a similar explosion to Solanke if he leaves Arsenal

Nketiah has been playing in a system unsuited to his strengths, and in a counter-attacking team like Bournemouth, he has the speed and eye for goal to thrive.

Solanke was a striker who struggled to make an impact in the Premier League before Iraola’s system allowed him to hit his best form.

Two seasons ago, Solanke started 32 Premier League games, but scored just six times, at a significantly worse rate than what Nketiah managed last season, at the same age.

If Nketiah joins a team where he is the main striker upfront, in a style suited to him, he could explode in a similar manner to how Solanke did last season, and Arsenal will be well aware of this.

If Solanke does join Spurs for £65m, it may therefore send a message to Arsenal that Nketiah should therefore be worth more than the £23m offered by Marseille, with a staggering £42m difference in the fees.