Ex-Arsenal star named ‘biggest’ Premier League ‘flop of the season’ as £30m transfer ‘hasn’t worked’
Former Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah has been named the “biggest” Premier League “flop of the season” as his £30m move to Crystal Palace “hasn’t worked”.
Nketiah left his boyhood club in the summer as Mikel Arteta and Co. attempted to raise funds for signings.
The 25-year-old was linked with Premier League and European sides before Crystal Palace won the race to sign him, paying around £30m to secure his services (£25m plus £5m in add-ons).
The former Arsenal striker has two goals in the Carabao Cup, but has failed to score in his 13 Premier League appearances. He’s behind Jean-Philippe Mateta in the pecking order and has only made six league starts.
Former Aston Villa star Lee Hendrie has picked Nketiah as the “biggest flop of the season” as you “have to expect more than what he’s produced”.
“Eddie Nketiah at Crystal Palace has to be the biggest flop of the season,” Hendrie said.
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“He cost the football club £30m, which I know isn’t huge sums for a Premier League striker these days, but when you bring in a player like that, and Palace don’t often spend those kinds of sums, you have to expect more than what he’s produced.
“He only scored his second goal the other day, you need more from your striker and he’s not offering that to Palace.”
Hendrie also explained why this “move hasn’t worked at all”.
“I watched him at Arsenal, and although he didn’t play every week, most of his goals came from deliveries into the box, but Palace don’t have the same quality in the wide areas as Arsenal and they don’t really play with wingers,” Hendrie added.
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“I’m not saying he’s a bad player; I just think the move hasn’t worked for him at all. He has got ability, he can score goals, so maybe that system doesn’t suit him, but I think it’s fair to have expected more.
“Palace let Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Edouard leave this summer, he was supposed to help fill that void. They need him to take a bit of the pressure of Jean-Philippe Mateta, but he hasn’t been able to do that.”
Earlier this season, Palace boss Oliver Glasner backed Nketiah as a player of his quality shouldn’t “always be on the bench”.
“We wouldn’t spend £25m on a player who we expect to always be on the bench. We believe in his quality and his mentality and his character,” Glasner said.
“Eddie can play different positions becuas he’s very smart. He’s a different proifile than Jean-Phillipe who is taller and more physicial. Eddie is more about moving and finding the space and he’s a very technical player.
“It could be that we change our system – it’s not about the system, it’s about our habits and our patterns. We will find the right setup for us.”
