The £30m striker who can refine Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace and take team to next level

Eddie Nketiah is set to bring his stint at Arsenal to an end after nine years marked by both good moments and struggles. The England international, born to Ghanaian parents, joined Arsenal in 2015 from Chelsea’s youth team and spent two years in the Gunners' youth setup before earning promotion to the senior team in 2017 at the age of 18 under the legendary Arsène Wenger.

Now, at 25, Nketiah’s time at the Emirates seems to be drawing to a close, with strong links to Crystal Palace, where he is expected to be a key man rather than the fringe player he has been reduced to at Arsenal. Even as a fringe player, he delivered when called upon in times of need.

Crystal Palace will acquire a big-game player if they manage to snap him up from the Gunners. The Eagles are known for causing upsets against big clubs, and with Nketiah they will have a player who excels when the spotlight is on him. A prime example is his brace against Manchester United in the 2022/23 season, which included a 90th-minute winner.

Statistics can sometimes be misleading. Nketiah has 19 goals in 116 Premier League appearances, which may not seem encouraging, but 16 of those goals came in just 38 starts - a more impressive figure. This shows that when trusted to start consistently, rather than being used as a backup, he is likely to deliver good numbers.

His ability to perform when given the chance was evident in the 2021/22 season when he scored five goals in seven starts towards the end of the season, following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's departure and with Alexandre Lacazette left as the only senior striker available. The five goals he netted in those final seven games included a brace against London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge - another instance of him rising to the occasion.

Nketiah has two career hat-tricks to his name: one against Sheffield United in the Premier League and the other in the EFL Cup quarterfinals against Sunderland, a competition Crystal Palace might aim to win to secure European football.

What Oliver Glasner will get in Eddie Nketiah is a very fit player with only one career injury, a player with a strong work ethic, and a reliable attacker who can play across all three forward positions - left, right, and central.

With the departures of Michael Olise and Jordan Ayew, the Arsenal Academy graduate will have more playing time at Crystal Palace, allowing him to find the growth he craves.

The £30 million being speculated in the media might seem high, but this is the English Premier League in 2024, where wants are as expensive as needs.