‘He’s so important’: Eddie Nketiah says Arsenal are really going to miss player Arteta has told this summer

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Arsenal kicked off their pre-season this week with a 1-1 draw against Nuremburg yesterday as Kai Havertz got his debut for the Gunners.

Havertz made his bow for the Gunners in the second half as part of some pre-planned changes by Mikel Arteta.

Of course, Arteta will hope to give Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber their debuts in the coming weeks as well, with Arsenal set to fly to the US this weekend.

However, one man not featuring this year is Granit Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder has moved back to Germany.

And speaking about Xhaka after the game, Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah has said that the Gunners will miss his influence massively, both on and off the field.

“What a guy, a big miss for the club. He had a fantastic season last year. You see a lot of what he does on the pitch but off the pitch he’s so important for all of us. He gives us a lot of confidence. He’s a really good and honest guy and we wish him all the best over in Germany,” Nketiah said.

Nketiah himself will be hoping to make an impression this season. As it stands, he remains second choice to Gabriel Jesus, despite the returning Folarin Balogun getting some minutes yesterday.

Rice can fill the void

Xhaka will be a big player missing this season as Nketiah says, with his character likely to be the hardest element Arsenal struggle to replace.

However, the incoming signing of Declan Rice will surely fix that. Rice is the West Ham captain and will bring his leadership qualities with him to the Gunners.

Ultimately, players move on and while Xhaka had a great season last term, he’s no irreplaceable. In fact, signing Havertz and Rice is probably an upgrade on the Swiss midfielder.