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#3 Eddie Nketiah
Every time an attacking prospect at Arsenal is deemed “not good enough” for the club, one can’t help but fear what if this is Serge Gnabry 2.0 in the making. As harsh as it may sound, football at an elite level does not give you time to prepare for it at your own pace.
Eddie Nketiah is in his fourth season with the Arsenal senior squad. Since his debut in March 2018, each of those seasons was seen as the build up to Nketiah’s proper breakthrough campaign. Unfortunately, the clock is running out on Nketiah as Arsenal deal with a crowd of young attacking starlets.
The young England striker has been simply prolific for the U18s with Arsenal and U21s for his national side. He broke Alan Shearer’s goalscoring record of 13 goals at U21 level, but Nketiah’s game isn’t maturing.
The 22 year-old offers a rather one dimensional striking prospect, whereas Gabriel Martinelli, with his extra pace and intelligence, is emerging as a more complete forward. Unlike Nketiah, the Brazilian also contributes willfully when Arsenal defend.
Arsenal were close to striking a deal for Nketiah with Crystal Palace this summer but the player’s wage demands were too high for a move to be completed. Arsenal definitely do not see Nketiah as the heir to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette for that matter. The upcoming January window will be a good opportunity for the striker to secure regular football elsewhere.
#2 Calum Chambers
There has been such a buzz around Arsenal’s new right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu that many forget what's well begun is only half done. Hector Bellerin saw his wish of leaving Arsenal for a Spanish club fulfilled by a loan to La Liga side Real Betis.
Following on with the momentum, it’s time Arsenal cut ties with Calum Chambers as well. The right-back is 26 and can still attract enough interest from a few Premier League sides that struggle in the division.
Chambers has been with Arsenal since 2013 but never looked like he’ll really own the right-back position. His struggle with injuries has shunted his potential and there are no signs that he’ll grow beyond the player he already is.
For someone of Chambers' stature, his contribution to aerial duels is quite disappointing. Mikel Arteta has Cedric Soares at his disposal who has more experience, is less injury prone and tracks back after forward runs quite well. Chambers, on the other hand, never felt confident enough while defending in the box as was on display in the opening game against Brentford.
Additionally, Arteta also blocked a possible loan move for Ainsley Maintland-Niles to Everton. On any given day, Maintland-Niles would make the squad over Chambers. The former has an impressive change of pace and is very good while defending one-on-one situations. So with options seeming plenty for Arteta, this should be the ideal time to move on from Chambers.
#1 Granit Xhaka
No one knows why Granit Xhaka’s new contract announcement has stalled indefinitely since his move to Roma this summer, so tantalizingly close, broke down. But everyone knows Jose Mourinho and Roma dodged a bullet after volunteering to take one in the head.
Xhaka at present is busy doing what he loves the most; serving a three-match ban for a red card. Arsenal are busy doing what they do best, enduring Xhaka.
One of the best midfielders to commit tactical fouls is Manchester City’s Fernandinho. Ideally, Xhaka could have been Arsenal’s Fernandinho, taking one for the team at times, doing the dirty work for the manager. However, Xhaka’s tendency to back-pass frequently puts unnecessary pressure on him. This has also hampered Arsenal’s progressive tempo against teams that can dominate in attack.
Former boss Arsene Wenger has previously mentioned that he advises Xhaka to keep his tackling to a minimum. Clearly he did not pay enough attention. Arsenal now have Sambi Lokonga, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and Maintland-Niles in the middle of the park. All of whom have the ability to protect the ball without relying too much on back passes.
Mohamed Elneny found some good form this previous season and though he can be a little slow in his decision making at times, he is not as reckless as Xhaka.
In addition to that, the captain’s armband predominantly stays with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Both Xhaka and Alexandre Lacazette shared it on other occasions. Clearly Xhaka isn’t bringing too much to the table in terms of his captaincy as well. Players like Kieran Tierney and Odegaard have emerged as successful leadership figures in their national camps.
The Swiss international will continue to divide opinion for as long as he stays. But Arsenal must cut short his stay in north London as soon as possible, if they are to move forward.
