The ex-Crystal Palace player Noel Whelan has stated that the club might make a January approach for young Arsenal attacker Eddie Nketiah.
Noel Whelan expressed his thoughts on the circumstances surrounding Eddie Nketiah in an interview with Football Insider. The Arsenal forward’s long-term future at the club is in doubt, as his current deal at the Emirates Stadium expires at the conclusion of the season.
The player himself has been linked with a January departure from the Emirates, with Leeds United and Aston Villa among the teams apparently keen on acquiring his talents, despite recent indications from Mikel Arteta that the Gunners were considering extending his contract.
The recent comments that were made by Noel Whelan
Nketiah has previously worked as a loanee for the Leeds United football club under Marcelo Bielsa. Whelan, on the other hand, believes that the 22-year-old would be better suited to a transfer to Crystal Palace. With Football Insider, the former Leeds striker talked extensively on the forward’s potential at Selhurst Park, stating that the club would be an excellent destination for a player of his calibre in the future.
“I am thinking of someone like Crystal Palace. That is most likely going to work nicely for him. He is a rather inexperienced player. The style and the enthusiasm of a younger side right now, I believe, is appealing to Patrick Vieira,” remarked Whelan, who had appeared in 53 competitive matches for Leeds throughout his professional football career.
“When you look at the strikers that they have in Benteke and Edouard, they’re quite comparable to one another. Nketiah is not a player that they have on their roster at this time. I believe that would be a good compromise for Patrick Vieira and one that he would appreciate.
When you’re thinking about a good, young British player who is already familiar with the league, he’s the ideal candidate.” As he continued, “Vieira is seeking to bring players in and revamp this Crystal Palace club,” Nketiah pointed out that the increased minutes he may be given could help him restart his career.
Will Eddie Nketiah move to Crystal Palace from Arsenal or will he get an extension?
“I believe he would be given greater assurances of playing more minutes with Crystal Palace than he would be given with Arsenal. We can tell what kind of football they are playing by their style of play. It is visually appealing, it is entertaining to see, and it is full of life. When it comes to Crystal Palace, I can see him settling in very well if they decide that he is a guy they want to have on their books,” said the 46-year-old former England international.
In the last days of the summer transfer window, Eddie Nketiah was connected with a move to Selhurst Park. Despite this, the Eagles have not made any contact with Arsenal over the young attacker. If the Arsenal youth star becomes available in January, it will not be shocking to see him get attention from other clubs.
