When it comes to the ongoing debate over whether Eddie Nketiah is a top-tier player, Mikel Arteta has a simple answer: feed him chances and he will score.
This week, the striker has been the talk of the town after scoring his first Premier League hat-trick in Arsenal’s 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United.
Nketiah, on the other hand, will face a much tougher test this weekend when Arsenal travel to St James’ Park for one of their toughest away days of the season. Arteta, on the other hand, is unconcerned about
Nketiah leading the line against Newcastle, insisting that he “trusts” Nketiah and his goal-scoring abilities.
“Well, to me, he is top-level,” said the Gunners manager. “He’s started nine of our ten Premier League games, which shows how much we trust him and how important he is to the team.”
“I’m overjoyed for him, an academy player, to have a Premier League hat-trick.” He should enjoy the moment; he fully deserves it, and hopefully there will be many more.”
When asked what level Nketiah can achieve, Arteta replied, “I don’t know.” He’s already a member of Arsenal. He has started Premier League games. He’s already very good [and] has the potential to be even better. Along with talent, his mentality is his strongest suit. It’s amazing. He’ll get much better when he has that mentality and talent.”
Nketiah is back in the starting lineup in place of Gabriel Jesus, who is out with a muscle injury. Arteta insisted that the two are “very different” in his lineup.
The Spaniard explained: “I think they are very different. Eddie brings different qualities to the team. He’s got an eye for goal. You look at the stats – he’s remarkable. He needs minutes, opportunities and service. If he gets that, he’s going to score goals, that’s for sure.”
Jesus is again expected to be unavailable on Saturday when Arsenal take on Newcastle having limped off towards the end of the Gunners’ 2-1 Champions League victory over Sevilla last week, and then missing the rout against Sheffield United.
Arteta hopes the striker will be back sooner rather than later, but says the club “must be cautious” with his recovery.
He said: “I’m honestly not going to give [a timeframe]. I did it once and got it totally wrong. We need to be cautious because we need to treat it in the right way.
“He’s already pushing everybody and wants to be back as quickly as possible, and we need him, so that’s great.”
Martin Odegaard, the Arsenal captain, is expected to face Newcastle after missing the weekend win due to a niggling hip problem. He continued: “We rested him the other day, so it’s how long we rest him for and how we manage the minutes and the rhythm that he needs to be at his best.”
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