Alan Shearer blasts “slow” Arsenal player – Should Mikel Arteta drop him?

Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Yesterday, Arsenal got the win against Everton. It was always bound to be a hard time breaking down the Toffees at Goodison Park, but in the end, a goal from super-sub Leandro Trossard gave all three points to Arsenal.

So, it was Leandro Trossard who stole the show, but there’s one player who may look back at his performance as a missed opportunity to stamp his authority on the first-team. That player is Eddie Nketiah. The 24-year-old who was called up to the England squad but wasn’t used last week, missed some good opportunities throughout the match.

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah blasted for being too “slow”

As reported by HITC, Alan Shearer blasted Eddie Nketiah in his segment on the Premier League Productions. The Newcastle United legend, who knows a thing or two about what it takes to be an elite striker, said that Nketiah isn’t at that level and if anything, he was slow. Indeed, Shearer also commented on the missed opportunities, seeming to be frustrated by the lack of energy from Nketiah.

Nketiah isn’t the first choice striker for Arsenal. While he’s been knocking on the door for some time, it’s clear to see why he isn’t the first choice from his performance yesterday. With the Champions League fixture in mind, though, Nketiah got his place in this match ahead of Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus is slowly returning from injury, but given his involvement with the Brazil national team over the break, it should only be a matter of time before he’s a starter for Arsenal again. In fact, I would even get him his place back in the starting XI for the opening Champions League fixture against PSV.

What did you make of Eddie Nketiah’s performance yesterday?