Darren Bent makes U-turn on ‘brilliant’ Arsenal player; he’d like him sold now

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Darren Bent says he’d let Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah leave in the summer transfer window.

The pundit was speaking on talkSPORT about the Gunners and their firepower ahead of next season.

Arsenal have enjoyed an outstanding season overall, in the grand scheme of things.

The Gunners went from fifth in 2021-22 to securing Champions League football and battling for the title this term.

However, the Gunners led the Premier League table for much of the 2022-23 season, only to slip up in the latter stages.

It’s a bitter pill to swallow at this moment in time, but there’s certainly scope for optimism next term.

‘They need someone… who is going to score goals’

Nketiah shone for Arsenal when covering for the injured Gabriel Jesus earlier this season.

However, he has struggled for game time since then, and hasn’t started for the Gunners since mid-February.

Nketiah suffered a minor ankle issue in early March and has come off on the bench on five occasions in that time.

Mikel Arteta has also taken to using Leandro Trossard at No. 9, pushing Nketiah further down the pecking order.

Bent feels that Arsenal need to bring in a more prolific goalscorer than Jesus, who “doesn’t score enough goals”.

The Gunners boyhood fan also said that, if it were up to him, he’d let Nketiah go.

“I think I’d even try and get another centre forward in,” he said, while discussing Arsenal’s target positions this summer.

“As good as Jesus is and he is fantastic, he doesn’t score enough goals and spends a lot of his time outside of the box.

“They need someone in there who is going to score goals, will put their head in there.

“I know Arsenal play that way, but I would let Eddie go and try and get another one in.”

‘Maybe he is ready’

Back in January, Bent sung Nketiah’s praises saying Jesus would have to win his place back in the team.

“Looking at what Eddie has done, we saw glimpses last season,” he said on talkSPORT in January.

“If you can remember the back end of last season, the last seven games, he scored five goals.

“He had the two against Chelsea where he was brilliant, two against Leeds and one against Everton.

“The performance against Chelsea was the one I went ‘oh, wow, ok maybe he is ready’.

“Again, he’s been given opportunities this season, he’s scored a fair few goals on this little run that he’s on now, I think he’s got four in his last five.

“I think the rush maybe isn’t as imminent as it was. I think when Gabriel Jesus got injured, people were like ‘panic stations, what are we going to do? Arsenal are going to fall off’.

“He’s just gone ‘you know what, hold on a second’, and fair play to Arteta as well by the way because he’s gone ‘you know what, you’re my number nine’.”

It’s a shame to see Nketiah fail to kick on after covering for Jesus so well earlier this season.

However, maybe he should start considering his future and look for a Premier League team that can all-but guarantee him regular starts.