Expressing his commitment to Arsenal, Edward Nketiah emphasized that Manager Mikel Arteta has faith in his capabilities and understands that he can deliver when given the opportunity.
Nketiah is determined to step up and address the scoring gap arising from Gabriel Jesus’ knee injury.
Jesus is expected to be sidelined for a number of weeks due to a minor knee surgery, a similar issue that necessitated his surgery in December last year, keeping him off the field for more than three months.
During Jesus’ previous absence, Nketiah emerged as a prominent figure, netting six goals in Arsenal’s initial six games after the World Cup in Qatar. Nonetheless, he hasn’t scored since January 2022, spanning across 14 matches.
In the recent preseason clash against Monaco in the Emirates Cup, Nketiah found the net, contributing to Arsenal’s 5-4 victory in the penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw. The confirmation of Jesus’ latest injury setback followed this match.
“I don’t think I’m here to fill in for anyone,” Nketiah said. “I’m here to play and contribute to the team.
“Obviously, I believe in my abilities and I know I can contribute. The manager has got a tough decision and whenever he calls me, he knows I can deliver and I can help the team, so it’s just about us all collectively playing our part to achieve our goals.”
Reflecting on his run on the team during Jesus’ absence last season, Nketiah continued: “I just really enjoyed it and was able to improve myself, test myself, I played some really big games and I was able to help and contribute.
“So that’s what it is about, obviously playing at the highest level, competing for trophies and that’s what I want to do. That’s what I want to contribute.
“I pride myself on always being ready and whatever role the manager needs me to fill I will always make sure I do my the best and to the best of my ability so I can help the team — that’s what it’s all about.”
Arteta has the option to deploy Nketiah in a central role, although he also possesses the alternative of United States international Folarin Balogun. Additionally, winger Gabriel Martinelli and the newly acquired Kai Havertz could be utilized as forwards if the situation demands.
Nketiah, however, has expressed his enthusiasm for embracing the responsibility of spearheading Arsenal’s efforts in a season where elevated expectations loom.
These anticipations arise following the team’s second-place finish last season and a substantial investment of over £200 million in new signings during the summer.
“Yeah, of course,” Nketiah said. “It’s what we play football for. We train hard every day to get the opportunity to play at the weekend. So not just myself, there’s many players that can obviously play in that position.
“So we’re all ready, we are all good players, we’re all able to contribute at different points in the season, everyone’s going to have different roles. It’s just about being ready and contribute and hopefully I can do that throughout the season.”