Mikel Arteta does not want Arsenal to sell 24-year-old star in January - Reports
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has reportedly blocked all possibilities of a potential transfer for the Gunners' 24-year-old striker, Eddie Nketiah. Amidst growing interest in the Englishman's signature, Arteta has seemingly put his foot down and has insisted on keeping Nketiah at the Emirates.
The Gunners are once again in the Premier League title hunt for the second season running and currently occupy the top spot with a lead of one point. While they haven't shied at all in front of the goal, there hasn't been a single go-to goalscorer for Mikel Arteta.
In the 2023-24 season so far, Bukayo Saka has been the North Londoners' top scorer, racking up eight goals across all competitions. Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard come in second place with seven strikes each, while Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard share the third spot with six goals apiece.
Despite his strikers' humble showing in front of goal, Mikel Arteta believes that their current team dynamic is the best fit for the team. Consequently, he is reluctant to let any one of his frontmen leave, having recently turned down Brentford's approach for Nketiah (via HITC).
According to TEAMtalk, the Bees have been long-term admirers of the 24-year-old striker and recently made an offer to acquire his services in January. Brentford's talisman, Ivan Toney, is currently serving a prolonged ban from all footballing activities, making their pursuit for Nketiah all the more urgent.
Nevertheless, a report by TEAMtalk states that Arteta is firmly against letting the promising striker leave and highly rates the player's dogged mentality. Having said that, Arsenal have previously shown interest in the aforementioned Ivan Toney and could consider a swap deal between him and Nketiah.
The English giants already offloaded Folarin Balogun earlier this year to balance their striking options and will have to do something similar if they want to sign Toney. The 27-year-old Englishman had a stellar 2022-23 season, notching up 20 goals in 33 Premier League appearances.
With his ongoing ban set to expire in January 2024, the Gunners could entertain the possibility of securing Toney's services by sending Nketiah the other way.
Arsenal finally returned to the UCL knockout stage after a seven-year hiatus
The English giants had always been Champions League regulars under the regime of Arsene Wenger. However, in his later years, the Gunners experienced a massive slump, which carried on even after Wenger's departure in 2018.
Consequently, 2017 was the last time Arsenal successfully qualified for the knockout stage in the UCL. Following that campaign, the London-based club failed to secure a Champions League spot altogether, finishing outside the top four places for six consecutive seasons.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta's men have finally flipped the script, securing a spot in the knockout stage in their first year back in Europe's most prestigious club competition. Having finished first in their group, Arsenal have drawn Porto in the round of 16 and will be facing the Portuguese giants in February 2024.