Pundit Garth Crooks believes the striker position could still be an issue for Arsenal this season despite the impressive display of Eddie Nketiah over the weekend.
The 24-year-old forward filled in for the injured Gabriel Jesus as Arsenal thrashed Sheffield United 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium, and he couldn’t have done much better with his opportunity as he hit a hat-trick.
This earned Nketiah a place in the Premier League team of the week, as selected by Crooks in his BBC Sport column, but it seems the pundit is still not entirely convinced by the Gunners attacker.
Nketiah has had his ups and downs for Arsenal, and usually isn’t a regular starter, and one imagines a lot of fans would feel more comfortable about the second half of the season if there were a more proven alternative to the slightly injury-prone Jesus.
It seems Crooks wants to see more from Nketiah before changing his mind about the player.
“Having had two challenging away games in a week – at Chelsea in the Premier League and Sevilla in the Champions League – Arsenal were fortunate on Saturday to face a Sheffield United side ravaged by injury and lacking in know-how. Eddie Nketiah stepped in for the injured Gabriel Jesus and grabbed himself an impressive hat-trick,” Crooks wrote.
“Last week I raised the issue around the Gunners requiring a clinical striker if they are serious about stealing the title from Manchester City. Nketiah’s hat-trick has not changed my view, although his third goal was a fabulous strike. If he were to score three goals against Liverpool, Manchester City or Spurs, I might be forced to reconsider my position.”