Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is likely to depart this summer, and Premier League side Bournemouth are now interested in a deal.
Nketiah has made 168 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 38 goals, but having fallen down the pecking order in recent months, now appears the best time for him to move on.
A deal to take Nketiah to French side Marseille recently fell through despite him agreeing personal terms, but another move is now on the cards.
Bournemouth recently sold Dominic Solanke to Tottenham Hotspur for around £65m, and have now been linked with a move for Nketiah to replace him.
Solanke scored 19 Premier League goals last season, but relative to game time, he provided a goal or assist per every 151 minutes of action, with Nketiah recording at a rate of 153 minutes, but played significantly less minutes.
When Mikel Arteta first became Arsenal manager, he had a mess to clean up, but the emergence of several top talents from Hale End helped him rebuild the team, and there was one game where Nketiah outshone Solanke.
Eddie Nketiah shone in Arsenal’s FA Cup victory over Bournemouth in 2020
Less than a month after becoming manager, Arteta had seen his team improve their form, and they were unbeaten in four games as they headed to Bournemouth for an FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Arteta made several changes, and this saw a number of youngsters start. Bukayo Saka was at left-back, with Gabriel Martinelli on the wing, whilst Matteo Guendouzi and Joe Willock started in midfield.
Nketiah was upfront, with Solanke also starting for Bournemouth, but Arsenal put in a superb performance. Saka opened the scoring with a powerful effort after an excellent team move, and he later crossed for Nketiah to finish deftly to make it 2-0 to the visitors before halftime.
Nketiah was making his first start after being recalled from his loan spell at Leeds United, which saw him struggle for game time under Marcelo Bielsa. His movement was outstanding and his goal was taken with great composure, and with Sam Surridge pulling one back late on, Nketiah’s strike proved to be a vital winner.
In that same game, Solanke started upfront for the hosts, but failed to make an impact against an Arsenal back line missing several key players, and netted just three times in 32 Premier League games, a lower total than Nketiah managed in each of his last two seasons with less playing time.
Arsenal win over Bournemouth was significant for Mikel Arteta, Eddie Nketiah stepped up
Arsenal’s win over Bournemouth was key, as it set up a fifth-round tie against Portsmouth, where Nketiah scored again in a 2-0 win.
Arteta’s side then went on to win the trophy, which salvaged an otherwise dismal league campaign. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored back-to-back braces in the semi-final and final as the hero, but Nketiah’s contributions in the earlier rounds were also vital.
This FA Cup triumph provided a springboard for Arteta’s reign at Arsenal, and gave him enough credit in the bank for when the form turned sour the following season.
For Nketiah, the game against Bournemouth saw him score against what could end up being his new team, and he showed their fans that day what he could bring to their side in terms of speed and finishing.
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