Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has turned down the latest contract offer from the club as his existing contract draws to an end. The England Under-21s player has now rejected several offers of a new contract extension at the club. Sky Sports reported that the 22-year-old attacker is not necessarily motivated by finance and that his decision is mainly due to the lack of playing time.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been vocal about Nketiah and how he wants him to stay at the club. He had not featured in the Premier League this season until he came on forNorwegian national team skipper Martin Odegaard for the final eleven (11) minutes as Arsenal tried to salvage something from their away game against old foes Manchester United. In the end, Nketiah and his Arsenal teammates were beaten 3-2 by their hosts despite scoring the first goal of the game.
Before the Manchester United game in the Premier League, Nketiah had played two times for Arsenal this season in the Carabao Cup, netting in each of the two matches. He scored one of the goals as Arsenal beat lower league opposition AFC Wimbledon 3-0 at home in the third round of the Carabao Cup to secure a fourth round berth. He was also on the scoresheet in the fourth round as Arsenal beat fellow Premier League side Leeds United 2-0 at home to book their place in the quarterfinals of the competition. Nketiah scored the second and final goal of the Leeds United game. Arsenal will now face League One giants Sunderland later this month in a bid to secure a place in the final four of the competition.