TBR View: 11 goals in last 7 international U21 games, Mikel Arteta has a future star in Arsenal ranks

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Arsenal have enjoyed a superb transfer window, Mikel Arteta bolstering his ranks with the likes of Thomas Partey, Gabriel Magalhaes and Willian this summer.

It’s not just about senior incomings though – getting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to sign a new deal was also a superb piece of business.

And on top of that, some of Arsenal’s homegrown players are going from strength to strength.

We all know about Bukayo Saka’s heroics over the past 12 months, culminating in an England senior call-up.

Eddie Nketiah, meanwhile, has been a bit more of a slow burner – he has already made 43 senior appearances for Arsenal – but this season may well be the one where he establishes himself as a senior star.

Sent out on loan to Leeds United in the first half of last season, the 21-year-old was recalled in January and has since been very much in Arteta’s plans.

Nketiah has featured seven times for Arsenal this season, scoring twice, and started the Gunners’ last Premier League game, against Sheffield United.

A tenacious forward boasting great pace, movement, creativity and finishing ability, he has earned huge praise from peers including Marcelo Bielsa, who has deemed him a “complete player”.

Nketiah is now also making headlines at international level, matching Alan Shearer’s record at England Under-21 level with a 13th goal for the Young Lions against Andorra’s U21s on Wednesday.

The Arsenal ace – who came on as a substitute in the 72nd minute – now has nine goals in his last five England U21 games and 11 in his last seven, an eye-opening tally for all the right reasons.

His latest display will surely have been food for thought for Arteta, and as the season goes on, the youngster is bound to get even more game time and keep progressing.

And surely it won’t be long before he eventually becomes one of the first names on the Spaniard’s team sheet.