Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah will put pen-to-paper on a new long-term contract in the coming days, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano reports.
The 23-year-old’s current deal with the Gunners expires on June 30, and the club recently confirmed that talks are ongoing with him regarding a possible extension.
Romano has now confirmed that a renewal has ‘never been in doubt‘ and Arsenal are ‘just waiting’ for their graduate to commit his long-term future to the club.
Our view:
Nketiah was largely out of contention for a starting berth in the Premier League last season, but his fortunes changed in April when Alexandre Lacazette was ruled out with coronavirus.
He could not find the back of the net in the 1-0 defeat at Southampton, but retained the faith of manager Mikel Arteta for the London derby at Chelsea, scoring a match-winning brace.
This cemented his spot up front for the rest of the season. Nketiah added three more goals from his next six appearances for Arsenal and now looks set to prolong his stay with the club.
Nketiah was initially reluctant to pen an extension amid his lack of playing time, but has been convinced to continue after playing an important role during the final phase of last season.
With the Gunners hot on the trail of a new striker, it is quite clear that Nketiah may not be assured a guaranteed starting spot, but there will be plenty of rotation next term.
With the World Cup being scheduled between November and December, there is a lot of fixture congestion. Arsenal could be playing as many as 10 games in the month of October.
Arteta will likely rotate his squad heavily during that period. The Gunners will need to add more quality and depth this summer to make a strong push for a top-four league finish.
