Mikel Arteta's £44m gift to Stan Kroenke emerges after Arsenal dealt Gabriel Jesus injury blow
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is continuing to show he can develop and get the best out of his players. One of those who has benefitted massively from the Spaniard joining the Gunners back in 2019 is Eddie Nketiah.
The England international was initially sent out on loan following Arteta's arrival at the Emirates Stadium but now finds himself competing with Gabriel Jesus for the No.9 position. Nketiah was drafted back into the starting XI against Sheffield United last weekend following another Jesus injury concern.
The Brazil international sustained a hamstring problem in the 2-1 win against Sevilla as Arsenal moved to the top of their Champions League group. Arteta told the media: «Really sad because he felt something in his hamstring and I’m worried about that.»
With Jesus now sidelined for a few weeks, Nketiah looks set to start in his place and he returned to the starting XI with a bang — scoring a hat-trick against the Blades on Saturday afternoon. There has been speculation that the 24-year-old could leave the Emirates Stadium in January with Arsenal monitoring Brentford star Ivan Toney's situation.
Regardless of what may or may not happen with Nketiah's future, the England international's market value has skyrocketed in the last 12 months — and much of that has been due to Arteta's work with the striker. According to CIES Football Observatory, Nketiah is now valued at €50million (£43.6m) and he still has four years left on his current deal after signing a contract extension in June 2022.
If Arsenal were willing to cash in on Nketiah — it would see them take home a huge return which has been boosted by Arteta's work in developing the 24-year-old to become a better player in the four years they have worked together.
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