‘THEY CAN’T WIN’: Agbonlahor now says Arsenal can’t win the league if £100k-a-week player keeps starting
Pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has said that Arsenal can’t win the league with Eddie Nketiah playing up-front.
Agbonlahor was speaking on TalkSPORT (16/2 8:55am) after Arsenal’s defeat to Manchester City.
It was arguably the biggest game of the season for the Gunners, and it came at a difficult time for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Off the back of three games without a win, including an FA Cup defeat to Man City, Arsenal needed a response.
Their first-half performance suggested they could come away from the game with at least a point.
However, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland made sure Pep Guardiola took three points back to Manchester.
Arsenal didn’t create a huge number of opportunities, but several of their best chances fell to Eddie Nketiah.
Unfortunately, the young forward couldn’t convert them, and in a game that was decided by tight margins, that proved to be the difference.
Agbonlahor has now said that Arsenal won’t win the title if Nketiah regularly starts.
After stepping up so expertly after the World Cup in Gabriel Jesus’s absence, Nketiah’s recent form has started to falter.
Agbonlahor claims Arsenal won’t win Premier League with Nketiah
The former Aston Villa striker was reviewing last night’s action, and while he praised the young forward, was unsure about his title credentials.
“He’s done totally well, but he’s not a world-class striker,” Agbonlahor said.
“Manchester City had a world-class striker he showed that yesterday with his finish and hold-up play.
“Eddie Nketiah is not a world-class striker. Is he a striker that can go five, six, seven, eight games and fill in for Gabriel Jesus, yes he is?
“But he’s not going to win the league for Arsenal.”
The £100k-a-week forward is still Arsenal’s joint-top scorer in all competitions this season with Bukayo Saka.
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However, only four of his goals have come in the Premier League, and he’s blanked in four of his last five games.
With Gabriel Jesus weeks away from returning to full fitness, the pressure is starting to mount on Nketiah.
Nketiah has the opportunity to prove Agbonlahor and his other doubters wrong in the next few games for Arsenal.
The focus is now on Saturday’s match against Aston Villa and his old coach Unai Emery to try and get their season back on track.
