Arsenal have now confirmed the departure of striker Eddie Nketiah, who has now joined Premier League side Crystal Palace.
Nketiah’s move has been finalised after weeks of uncertainty, after deals with Nottingham Forest and Marseille broke down.
With less than an hour remaining in the transfer window, Nketiah has now departed the club he joined in 2015, with his first-team debut coming in 2017.
The centre-forward has not had to leave London, and he will link up with his former Arsenal teammate Rob Holding as he joins Palace.
The striker has not started a Premier League game in 2024 after falling behind Kai Havertz in the pecking order, and his move will enable him to play regularly, whilst also earning Arsenal pure profit on a homegrown player.
Arsenal confirm Eddie Nketiah exit
In a statement posted on the Arsenal website, the club confirmed that Nketiah’s move to Crystal Palace has been completed.
“Eddie Nketiah has joined Crystal Palace in a permanent transfer,” Arsenal confirmed.
“Everyone at Arsenal thanks Eddie for his contribution to the club and wishes him all the best for his future.
“The transfer is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.”
Nketiah follows Aaron Ramsdale out of Arsenal, with the goalkeeper finalising his move to Southampton earlier today.
How much Crystal Palace pay Arsenal for Eddie Nketiah?
Crystal Palace have now signed the Hale End graduate, with Arsenal receiving an initial £25m, with an extra £5m in addons, for a total package of £30m.
Nketiah was on a salary of £100k per week, and the wage savings, combined with the transfer fee, will give Arsenal a major boost in terms of profit and sustainability regulations.
Palace’s offer was higher than Marseille’s earlier in the window, and Edu Gaspar deserves credit for standing firm over his asking price.
Eddie Nketiah’s stats at Arsenal
Despite falling down the pecking order, Nketiah was a solid striker for Arsenal, and he is arguably one of the Hale End Academy’s best-ever success stories.
Nketiah made 168 appearances for Arsenal, with 98 of those coming as a substitute. The striker scored 38 goals for the club, whilst also providing seven assists.
He appeared for exactly 7000 minutes for Arsenal, giving him a minute-per-goal ratio of a goal every 184 minutes, with his first coming in his debut as he scored nearly immediately after coming on as a substitute in a Carabao Cup tie against Norwich.
It was clear that Nketiah needed to leave for more regular game time, but he deserves respect for his contributions to Arsenal over the years, which saw him score braces against Chelsea and Manchester United in vital wins.
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