BBC pundit says 23-year-old Arsenal player has suddenly 'lost his way'

By Shamanth Jayaram

BBC pundit Chris Sutton believes Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has suddenly lost his way after a bunch 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 had to undergo surgery, and Arsenal had no other natural option up top.

Nketiah became the main man, and for the most part, he has done a great job. However, he had an underwhelming February and he is now injured.

BBC pundit says Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has suddenly ‘lost his way’

Jesus was Arsenal’s first-choice striker and one of the most important players in the side.

The Brazilian was outstanding for the Gunners in the first half of the season. He was one of the biggest reasons why they looked so good, but Arsenal haven’t really missed him.

That’s because Nketiah fared really well in his absence in most games, but he suffered a dip in form last month, and that has led to some criticism by fans, pundits and the media.

Sutton says he’s now concerned about Arsenal’s front line because Jesus, Nketiah and even Leandro Trossard are all injured. He further went on to claim that the Englishman has lost his way a little.

He wrote in his predictions piece on BBC Sport: “What Arsenal are doing is brilliant, but I am concerned about whether 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 his way a bit. Gabriel Jesus has been back in training and I wonder how close he is to a return – because he is going to be massive in this run-in.”

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Nketiah managed to score four goals in his first five league starts after the World Cup, and he was excellent 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 failed to score, became 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’ll not be able to have a big impact.

That doesn’t make him a bad player, and we won’t be surprised at all if he comes back firing in the coming weeks.