TalkSPORT pundit thinks £100k-a-week Arsenal man will be getting ‘frustrated’ with Arteta

Add as preferred source on Google

Pundit Andy Townsend has admitted that he thinks Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah will be getting frustrated with Mikel Arteta.

Townsend was speaking on TalkSPORT (28/8 8:13am) after Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Fulham.

Arsenal will know they dropped two points at the Emirates on Saturday.

Fulham were there for the taking, especially after going down to ten men following Calvin Bassey’s red card.

However, a late Joao Palhinha goal denied Arsenal a third straight league win.

Mikel Arteta decided to make several changes to his side on Saturday after their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.

He was forced to bring in a replacement for Takehiro Tomiyasu after his red card and decided upon Jakub Kiwior.

Arteta also brought in Leandro Trossard in place of Eddie Nketiah despite his strong start to the season.

Townsend has suggested that Nketiah will be getting frustrated with Arteta due to his lack of consistent minutes.

The £100,000-a-week showed he came on at half-time at the weekend and that he deserves to be starting much more often.

Nketiah will be getting frustrated with Arteta – Townsend

Speaking about Arsenal’s draw, Townsend said: “The bit I don’t understand is Eddie Nketiah scenario.

“Every time this kid comes on he’s got an energy about him, he’s got something there that I really like and yet for whatever reason it doesn’t seem at the moment anyway and I know it’s early days for him as he’s a young boy and he’s got plenty of time.

“But he’ll be getting a little frustrated I think. He’ll be getting a little frustrated thinking, ‘Am I going to start this one or am I going to have to come off the bench again?’

“And there’s only so long – we’ve been younger players in teams and we’ve been on the bench and you have to go through it – but there’s so only so long you want to sit there as opposed to starting.”

Ally McCoist added: “Of course, there will be an element of frustration because as a young player, you want a run.”

It’s easy to see Nketiah might be getting frustrated with Arteta as he’s done very little wrong to lose his place in the side.

Darren Bent insisted at the weekend that Nketiah should be starting every day of the week.

Jermain Defoe has also suggested that the 24-year-old doesn’t get enough credit for his performances for the Gunners.

Trossard didn’t set the world alight in his half of football while Kai Havertz also struggled.

Arteta could shuffle his pack and it would be no surprise to see Nketiah in the starting line-up against Manchester United.