Former Arsenal forward John Hartson believes it would be ‘tragic’ if Eddie Nketiah was to leave the Emirates this summer on a free transfer.
Nketiah, 22, is set to depart the Gunners at the end of the season with his contract running out and talks between him and manager Mikel Arteta stalling over a new deal.
The striker has been leading the line for Arsenal in recent matches and scored two goals in their 4-2 victory over on Wednesday night.
Hartson, who played in a red and white shirt in the Nineties, thinks Nketiah has the potential to be top player and criticised his old club for letting the young star’s contract near its expiry.
He said on Sky Sports: ‘It will be another young player that would be allowed to leave and particularly on a free. How on earth have they’ve got into this situation? Arteta’s been very, very honest in almost blaming himself for allowing his contract to run down.
‘It’s a big, big error again. Maybe in the last year or so, he’s not found the the form that he’s found now. So it’s a difficult one. At this moment in time, he’s absolutely flying.
‘But it would be tragic if Nketiah was allowed to leave Arsenal because you’ve got a natural finisher there. I’m not saying he’s the answer long-term but he’s young enough to go in and show what he can do.
‘He just needs a bit of experience and an arm around him and I think he’ll thrive. I think it would be a major, major loss and disappointment to the fans and Arteta if Nketiah was to leave on a free.’
Back in January, Crystal Palace were heavily linked with a move for Nketiah but Arsenal reportedly turned down the offer due to a striker shortage following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure to Barcelona.
Nketiah’s desire to move away from the Gunners is thought to be due to a lack of playing time since joining the club in 2017 from Chelsea’s youth system.
Despite being England’s record goalscorer at under-21 level, he has spent much of his time at Arsenal on the bench and featured primarily in the club’s cup matches.
Meanwhile, a loan spell at Leeds United ended early in 2020 when Arteta recalled him to the north London.
Earlier this week, Nketiah confirmed there has been an offer of a new deal from Arsenal but that he may look to move on at the end of the season.
He told the : ‘There have talks and offers of a new contract but at the moment my aim is to play football and play regularly.’
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