Arsenal has another young talent on its hands! Eddie Nkeitah scored not once but twice for his club in the Carabao Cup against Norwich FC.
Arsene Wenger utilized Nkeitah as an 85th minute substitution, and the eighteen-year-old striker literally saved the day. When he entered the match, Arsenal was down a goal. He almost immediately equalized, and, during extra time, his second goal propelled the club to victory. Fans shouted sarcastic chants of “Who?” as Nkeitah entered the field, and he certainly answered the question in fantastic fashion.
Although Eddie Nkeitah is new to the Arsenal first team, he’s already made quite a name for himself. His soccer career been with Arsenal’s London rival Chelsea. He spent his childhood with Chelsea, but he was released from the academy back in 2015. Chelsea’s loss has certainly been Arsenal’s gain.
With the Arsenal youth clubs, Nkeitah has scored an average of twelve goals a season over two seasons. He has even scored a hat trick in one match. He’s also managed a hattrick on the international level. Prior to reaching the age of seventeen, he had already made seven goals on the international youth levels for the England national squad.
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The starlet in the making has garnered comparisons to Thierry Henry. Admittedly, of what little the world has seen of Nkeitah, his playing style does have nostalgic resemblance to that of his retired French counterpart. He has even the Thierry Henry seal of approval through a congratulatory tweet. As if all of his on the field accolades weren’t enough, he’s also verified on Twitter. Suffice it to say that Eddie Nkeitah is the real deal.
Although the soccer world is already pegging the young striker as the next big thing, Arsene Wenger has firmly pressed the brakes to this runaway hype train. Although the Arsenal boss has noted Nkeitah’s talent, he is weary of putting too much pressure on the growing footballer too soon. He wants to give him time to develop. Especially considering Wenger’s mindset, it is highly unlikely that Nkeitah will be making any premiere league appearances any time soon. Arsenal already has seasoned strikers, such as Giroud and Walcott, and Chuba Akpom seems to be Wenger’s go to sub.
The world is eager to see this young talent develop into a star. He certainly as much potential, and, under the watchful care of Arsene Wenger, he will certainly thrive.