"People don't know that" – Thierry Henry explains why Eddie Nketiah left Chelsea and joined Arsenal at a young age

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has revealed the reason behind Eddie Nketiah's exit from Chelsea during his academy days.

Nketiah, 23, has been the Gunners' second-choice forward since breaking into the first team during the 2020-21 campaign. After impressing with 10 goals across all competitions last season, he has scored four goals and laid out one assist in 20 games this term.

A mobile striker blessed with pace and finishing, Nketiah spent seven years in the Blues' academy between 2008 and 2015. After joining the north London outfit, he made his senior debut for the Gunners in 2017.

Chelsea’s class of ‘99:

• Eddie Nketiah.
• Declan Rice.
• Rhian Brewster.
• Conor Gallagher.
• Mason Mount.
• Trevoh Chalobah.
• Reece James.

What a squad. 💙 https://t.co/raXaYrujG1

Speaking to Amazon Prime, Henry shed light on Nketiah's journey. He explained that AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham's presence in Chelsea's youth setup had forced Nketiah to move to Arsenal. He said:

"He was at Chelsea in his early years. People don't know that. Because Tammy Abraham was there and doing what he was doing, he left them to come to Arsenal."

Abraham, who left the Blues to join Roma for £34 million last summer, scored 30 goals and contributed 12 assists in 82 overall appearances for his boyhood club. He also helped the west London outfit lift two trophies.

Meanwhile, Nketiah is set to fill in for Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal in the coming months after the latter sustained a long-term knee injury. He netted in his first Premier League start during his team's 3-1 home win over West Ham United on Monday (26 December).

Nketiah is set to be in action for Arsenal in their Premier League trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (31 December).

Luke 1:37 🙏🏾 @Arsenal https://t.co/3xwUF1jFWh

Chelsea step up their pursuit to sign Serie A ace who was on Arsenal's radar: Reports

Speaking to Give Me Sport, CBS journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that Chelsea have inquired about Juventus superstar Dusan Vlahovic's availability on a permanent deal in the winter transfer window. He said:

"It's Chelsea, from a Premier League point of view, making the inquiries at this point, and we know that they need a striker as well. But I think everybody needs to understand, is January possible, first and foremost, and if it isn't, what do they need to do to persuade him to move to the Premier League in January next year?"

Sharing his thoughts on the Partizan youth product, Jacobs added:

"And what can clubs learn from the Arsenal situation? And also, what is his injury situation? Because right now, if you get him in January, he's got a groin problem that is still under investigation. But Chelsea are looking a bit more seriously at him and obviously a number of other strikers because of Armando Broja's situation."

Vlahovic, 22, has registered 16 goals and four assists in 36 matches for Juventus since arriving from Fiorentina in January this year.