BBC pundit Chris Sutton believes Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has suddenly lost weight after a string of impressive performances for the Gunners.
The 23-year-old Englishman became a regular starter for Mikel Arteta’s side in December following Gabriel Jesus’ injury. The Brazilian needed surgery and Arsenal had no other natural option at the top.
Nketiah became the main man and for the most part he has done a good job. However, he had an underwhelming February and is now injured.
BBC pundit says Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah suddenly ‘disoriented’
Jesus was Arsenal’s first choice striker and one of the most important players in the team.
The Brazilian was outstanding for the Gunners in the first half of the season. He was one of the biggest reasons they looked so good, but Arsenal haven’t really missed him.
That’s because Nketiah did really well in his absence in most games, but he suffered a dip in form last month, which has led to some criticism from fans, pundits and the media.
Sutton says he is now worried about Arsenal’s frontline with Jesus, Nketiah and even Leandro Trossard all injured. He went on to claim that the Englishman has lost some weight.
He wrote in his prediction piece on BBC Sport: “What Arsenal are doing is brilliant but I’m worried if they can keep it up because they are so stretched up front.
“Leandro Trossard came off injured against the Cherries and Eddie Nketiah has lost a bit of weight. Gabriel Jesus has been back in training and I wonder how close he is to a return – because he’s going to be massive in this run-in.”
TBR view:
Nketiah managed to score four goals in his first five league starts after the World Cup and he was outstanding in almost every one of those games.
However, Arsenal’s fortunes changed at the start of February and they went three games without a win. Nketiah, who didn’t score, was the target, but that’s a bit harsh in our opinion.
The 23-year-old is an excellent centre-forward, but you can’t really expect him to fill Jesus’ shoes just yet. He’s a different kind of striker and there will be games where he won’t be able to make a big impact.
That doesn’t make him a bad player and we wouldn’t be at all surprised if he comes back firing in the coming weeks.
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