Paul Merson tells Arsenal to sell forward despite Ian Wright comparisons

Paul Merson has told Arsenal to continue starting Eddie Nketiah, but says his former club should nevertheless let the striker go at the end of the season.

Nketiah made a rare start for the Gunners on Wednesday night against Chelsea and stunned almost everyone when he bagged a brace at Stamford Bridge in the 4-2 win.

The 22-year-old is now expected to once again lead the line for Mikel Arteta’s side in their crucial game against Manchester United on Saturday, which could determine whether the club will be playing in the Champions League next season.

‘Eddie Nketiah reminded me of Ian Wright against Chelsea, and he should play every game now for Arsenal until the end of the season,’ Gunners icon Merson wrote in his column for the Daily Star.

‘He is a better finisher than Alexandre Lacazette and should score more goals, so I’d leave him in there and let him have a run in the team.

‘I played with one of the greatest in Wrighty and both of those goals he scored were Wrighty all over. I can’t see Lacazette scoring goals like those. For the first one, he anticipated the backpass, cut across the defender and put it in the corner.’

Despite making his Arsenal debut way back in 2017, Nketiah has been unable to establish himself in the Gunners’ first team despite the occasional flashes of brilliance.

Along with fellow striker Lacazette, he is out of contract in the summer and it was largely assumed that he would leave his boyhood club on a free, with Borussia Monchengladbach and Crystal Palace interested in acquiring his services.

But following the Chelsea result, there has been talk of extending his deal, with Arteta keen not to lose both his No. 9s, although Arsenal are still very likely to sign a new striker in the summer anyway.