Former England international Trevor Sinclair says Eddie Nketiah reminds him of Ian Wright after the Arsenal striker bagged a hat-trick in a 5-1 victory over Sunderland in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
The Gunners secured a comfortable victory to reach the last four as Nketiah shone on a night where club-record signing Nicolas Pepe got on the scoresheet and 18-year-old Charlie Patino toasted his first-team debut with a goal.
Nketiah, 22, is out of contract in the summer and has reportedly turned down a contract offer as he struggles for game time, especially in the Premier League where he has played just 38 minutes so far this season.
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And Sinclair thinks Nketiah’s movement is similar to that of Arsenal legend Wright, who scored 185 goals for the Gunners.
“Eddie Nketiah, I’ve been a big fan of his,” Sinclair told talkSPORT. “I’ve watched him play for the England Under-21s and he’s hungry, he’s got a point to prove.
“He’s been offered a contract at Arsenal and he’s turned it down, he wants to play football and he’s not been given many opportunities.
“But I’m not sure leaving Arsenal at this time is the right thing to do. You look at the situation with Aubameyang and Lacazette is out of contract.
“I actually think he’s better than [Folarin] Balogun, personally. He’s a London boy, he’s been at the club for quite a while. I’d like to see him being given more opportunities at Arsenal.
“The way he scored his goals last night, his movement was exceptional. It reminded me of Ian Wright a little bit. People can say what they want about me saying that, but he was bright, he was too shifty for the defenders.
“I know it was against Sunderland, but that movement would cause any Premier League team problems. He took all his goals really well, it was a brilliant performance from him.
“Arteta’s got a huge problem with Eddie. He’s in the last year of his contract, it runs out in the summer, he’s rejected the contract offers.
“I dont think it’s about money, he wants to play football. He’s been out on loan a lot, he’s only played 58 games and he’s 22 years old, he wants to play more football.
“The best thing he can do is play like he did last night. Play well, score goals, play with enthusiasm, and if he continues to be dismissed and is not given opportunities, I don’t think any Arsenal fan would blame him for leaving.”
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