Eddie Nketiah says his exit from Arsenal has allowed him to pursue his next steps in football, having been starved for game time towards the end of last season.
The England international played fewer than 30 minutes of Premier League action after March, starting just 13 of his 37 outings across all competitions. Half of his six goals came in one match – a hat-trick against bottom side Sheffield United – with none of them coming after January.
All 10 of his league starts had come before the turn of the new year, having initially deputised for the injured Gabriel Jesus before Kai Havertz eventually adopted his centre-forward role. Nketiah – whose England debut, and sole cap, came a year ago last Sunday – left for Palace in a £30million deadline day move in August.
He was one of a number of academy products to be offloaded with Emile Smith Rowe joining Fulham before Reiss Nelson followed him to Craven Cottage on loan. Nketiah – who moved to Arsenal from Chelsea’s academy – has unpacked why he chose Palace as his next employers, having spent more than a decade at the Gunners.
