Arsenal have firmly planted themselves in the Premier League title race this season, and while some might say they dropped two points against Manchester City, most will look at the draw as a point gained.
Mikel Arteta's side put in a steely, organised, and impressive defensive performance that only solidified their title credentials, and while it may have bored the neutral, they won't care.
It was an impressive showing from the entire team, although Eddie Nketiah failed to make it off the bench, and with another academy graduate tearing it up in the youth teams, his time at the club could be coming to an end.
Eddie Nketiah this season
Nketiah enjoyed a relatively successful season at the Emirates last year, filling in for Gabriel Jesus after he injured his knee at the World Cup and made 39 appearances across all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing two assists.
However, the Lewisham-born poacher has had a tougher time of it this year.
Despite Jesus again missing a large chunk of the campaign through problems with his knee, the 24-year-old Englishman has been limited to just 33 appearances, although that has only amounted to 1360 minutes, compared to the 1859 he received last year.
In his reduced game time, the 5 foot 11 forward has scored just six goals – three of which came at home against bottom side Sheffield United – and provided three assists, meaning he is averaging a goal involvement every 3.66 games.
Season
2022/23
2023/24
Appearances
39
33
Goals
9
6
Assists
2
3
Goal Involvements per Match
0.28
0.27
With Jesus back in the XI and Arteta clearly favouring both Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard ahead of Nketiah in that nine position, it looks like his time at the club is up, especially with the emergence of an incredibly talented youngster in the academy.
Why fans should be excited about Chidozie Obi-Martin
The Hale End gem in question is 16-year-old Chidozie Obi-Martin, who has been scoring for fun this season.
The Danish youth international has been a promising talent in the Gunners academy for some time now, consistently playing above his age group. However, he really grabbed the headlines in November last year when he scored ten goals against Liverpool for the U16s – yes, ten goals.
Team
U18s
U21s
UEFA Youth League
Appearances
13
2
3
Goals
8
0
0
Assists
2
0
0
Goal Involvements per Match
0.76
0.00
0.00
With it abundantly clear that the U16 level was too easy for the Glostrup-born gem, he was moved up to the U18s for this season, where he has scored eight goals and provided two assists in just 13 games before once again being given the chance to play with the U21s and in the UEFA Youth League squad.
Over the weekend, the right-footed forward scored another flurry of goals, netting four times against Fulham's U18s, as the Gunners ran out 5-2 victors, leading to U18 coach Jack Wilshere to say:
"Chido has always had a knack for finding the back of the net. His impact on the team has been immense this season."
It's not just at club level where the Hale End marvel has excelled, though.
In his six games for Denmark's U16 squad, he has scored three goals, while he's managed to bag ten in 14 games for the U17s, showing that he's able to find the back of the net regardless of the team he's playing for.
Team
Denmark U16s
Denmark U17s
Appearances
6
14
Goals
3
10
Assists
0
0
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
0.71
Ultimately, while he might need another season in the academy to truly get up to speed, Chido-Obi seems destined to break into the first team sooner rather than later, and with Nketiah's disappointing season this year, it could be at his expense.
Arteta struck gold selling Arsenal flop who's now worth less than Nelson
He’s had a terrible campaign since leaving the Emirates.
ByEthan LambMar 30, 2024
