Paul Merson says £100k-a-week Arsenal ace must be more consistent

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Arsenal legend Paul Merson has praised Eddie Nketiah for his Premier League hat-trick last time out.

However, he also called on the Gunners forward to start scoring regularly against the big clubs.

The Arsenal icon, writing on Sky Sports, enjoyed seeing Nketiah’s “smart finishes” against Sheffield United.

Merson also acknowledged that they’ll bring him confidence, but stressed that the forward needs to kick on.

Nketiah delivered a 10 out of 10 performance for Arsenal against the Blades, scoring three goals including a superb effort from outside the box.

Indeed, that long-range strike is in the running for the Premier League’s Goal of the Month for October.

‘No mean feat’

“It was great for Eddie Nketiah to get a hat-trick against Sheffield United,” Merson wrote on Sky Sports.

“It’s no mean feat to score three goals in the Premier League.

“But when we are discussing whether he’s the real deal and whether he can lead Arsenal to the title, the goals came against a Championship team.

“Sheffield United are bottom of the league with one point. They let in goals for fun and are well out of their depth in this league.

“I didn’t expect him to get a hat-trick, but you have to expect him to score against Sheffield United.

“The challenge for Nketiah now is to do that consistently against teams in the top six. That’s why you play at Arsenal. You play at Arsenal for the big moments and the big games.

“The goals against Sheffield United will do him good, though. They will bring him so much confidence because there were some really smart finishes.

“But he now has to do it regularly in the big games. That’s what expected at Arsenal.”

Nketiah will take it in his stride and continue getting better at Arsenal – TBR View

You can only play / beat who’s in front of you in any given game, and Nketiah couldn’t have done any better against a hapless Blades side.

Obviously in hindsight it looks like Arsenal were always going to beat them, but they had to work hard for the win. You can’t be complacent against anyone in the Premier League.

Merson is perhaps showing some tough love here, but Nketiah is a top talent and has the right attitude to play at Arsenal. That’s no small feat, because Arteta demands the highest standards.

No doubt Nketiah will kick on and he’ll enjoy a superb season. Hopefully the confidence boost from the hat-trick will propel the £100,000-a-week ace (Spotrac) to the next level.