Gabriel Agbonlahor says Eddie Nketiah isn’t good enough to start for Arsenal

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Gabriel Agbonlahor has suggested that Eddie Nketiah simply isn’t good enough to start for Arsenal on a consistent basis.

Nketiah has stepped up in the absence of Gabriel Jesus over the past couple of months but he is currently going through a difficult patch of form.

The 23-year-old hasn’t found the back of the net since he bagged a brace against Manchester United towards the end of January.

He had netted four goals in five games straight after stepping into the side, but he is now without a goal in his last four starts in the league.

Nketiah’s dip in form led to him being dropped to the bench for Leandro Trossard as Arsenal beat Leicester City 1-0 on Saturday. And Agbonlahor thinks the striker simply isn’t good enough to be starting for Arsenal every week. 

Agbonlahor on Nketiah

Speaking on TalkSPORT (1/3 6:42am), Agbonlahor feels Jesus will be like a new signing once he returns from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

“Yeah, Nketiah he’s that sort of striker, isn’t he? He’s the sort of striker that you can get a game out of him here and there, and he comes on as a sub for 20 minutes.

“But, to get 10 or 15 games out of him, he’s not the answer for Arsenal. Gabriel Jesus, better player, more experienced, been there and won titles.

“When he comes back, he’s going to be like a new signing. He could be the reason why Arsenal go on to win this league.

“Imagine in two or three games time, there’ll be 11 games left. For those 11 games you’ve got Gabriel Jesus coming back into it. He could really fire Arsenal to the league title.”

It seems a bit harsh from Agbonlahor considering that Nketiah has performed brilliantly in the absence of Jesus.

He is struggling for goals at the moment but Jesus was enduring a similar run before the World Cup break.

Of course, there’s no doubt that Jesus makes Arsenal a far better side when he’s in the starting line-up.

But Nketiah has proven that he is good enough to fill in for the Brazilian and more importantly, step up for Arsenal as a starter.