Mikel Arteta has shown faith in Eddie Nketiah to get the goals

ARMCHAIR managers have wondered whether if it is worth trying Gabriel Martinelli in a centre forward role as Arsenal wait anxiously for the return of star striker Gabriel Jesus.

The social media strategists have also considered new arrival Leandro Trossard as a possible option, often costing his hat-trick for Brighton and Hove Albion at Liverpool earlier in the season.

But Gunners manager Mikel Arteta is set to persevere with Eddiie Nketiah in the hope he can deliver enough goals to keep his team in the title race – starting with a trip to Leiceester City this weekend.

Nketiah was handed Thierry Henry’s No. 14 shirt as a measure of how much faith Arteta has in him and there was no rush to buy an out-and-out striker during the January transfer window. Folarin Balogun, meanwhile, is scoring goals but for Reims during a loan period in France

Nketiah missed chances in the losses to Everton and Manchester City recently, and could have been on the scoresheet against Aston Villa last week. This means he is now five games without a goal, with his last strike being the late winner a drastic ding-dong game against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on January 22.

Martinelli has receive some criticism for below par performances – by his standards – in  2023 but a section of the Gunners’ support still believes he would be more effective as a No. 9 rather than on the wing. He is fast, but has shown uncertainty at times when sprinting from wide towards the penalty area.

As with Gabriel Jesus, Arteta is not measuring Nketiah’s competition purely by his return in front of goal and it is understood the leadership see him as a hard-working player who can open doors to the attacking midfielders as they advance towards goal. He is popular among his team mates and has a strong bond with his friend Bukayo Saka having both come through the youth set-up.

In 21 appearances this term he has managed just four goals, although in the early stages of the season these opportunities were largely from the subs’ bench.

Nevertheless, he remains confident that he will still be in the first team plans even after Gabriel Jesus’ return from injury.

“I am only 23, I have still got a lot of years to grow and improve,” he said in January to ViaPlay. “I wish Gabriel Jesus a speedy recovery. We want him back and we need him back for the team. For myself, I just go about it game by game. I know what I can do.”