Arsenal’s Leicester win spells bad news for one Gunner

Robin Bairner

• 25 Feb 2023 18:27 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal wriggled five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League on Saturday thanks to a 1-0 win over Leicester, but while victory at the King Power was another step towards glory, it also sent a message to one member of Mikel Arteta’s squad that his time at the club may well be up come the summer.

Gabriel Martinelli was brought back into the starting XI and proved the key figure as he netted the only goal of the game shortly after the break, with the Brazilian joining Leandro Trossard in attack. The Belgian, meanwhile, was unfortunate to see a goal ruled out in the first half.

The victim of this change was Eddie Nketiah, who was dumped to the bench, having played the full 90 minutes in the thrilling victory over Aston Villa last weekend.

MORE: Arsenal's Marquinhos makes dream loan debut at Norwich

Amid the chaos of that victory in Birmingham, the No.9 endured a fifth start in succession without finding the net and showed why Arteta was so reticent to trust him before Gabriel Jesus sustained an injury at the World Cup.

Goals in back-to-back Premier League fixtures against West Ham and Brighton suggested the Gunners might be able to lean on the 23-year-old but since then he has found the net in only two of 10 matches.

MORE: Arsenal's 10 worst transfers of all time

Nketiah’s Arsenal chance gone?

Arteta’s team selection at Leicester suggests that Nketiah, who is out of contract in 2027 and has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €17.3 million, may have missed his chance to secure his long-term future at the Emirates.

Both Trossard and Martinelli played well, while Bukayo Saka is immovable, hinting that in the short term Arteta may prefer this trio.

That the Gunners would rather play with a makeshift centre-forward than use Nketiah, who is the only fit senior option on their books, has to be considered a red flag. Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus is close to a comeback and is set to starve the Englishman of game time once more.

Meanwhile, there is the spectre of Folarin Balogun, younger and currently on fire on loan at Reims, waiting to return to the club. With a reported wage of €113,000 per week (£100,000), Nketiah is an expensive third or fourth choice.

Of course, he will have opportunities in the Europa League before the end of the season, but these will not count as heavily as his missed Premier League chances. He will also be a valued player off the bench before the end of May – and indeed showed against Leicester that he can remain a valuable focal point in a pinch.

Nketiah has had his chance to play for his long-term Arsenal future – and he has missed it.