Eddie Nketiah played 168 senior appearances for Arsenal after graduating from the Hale End academy. He is a successful youth product, having scored 38 goals for the Gunners.
He emerged at the same time as Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, and when he became a dependable first-team option, he saved the club millions. Then, like Smith Rowe, he earned millions of dollars when he left in the summer of 2024 to join another Premier League team.
The English striker was anticipated to do well after joining Crystal Palace in a reported £30 million deal. Here is a thorough summary of Nketiah’s performance for his new squad as of about seven months later.
The Slow Beginning of Nketiah’s Life at the Palace
Despite just having one Premier League goal, his cup form is strong.
Palace spent a lot of money on Nketiah in the hopes that he would step up his goal-scoring at Selhurst Park. Nketiah was a prolific goal scorer at the youth level and a decent enough penalty area finisher with the Gunners. In that regard, the £30 million transfer hasn’t been very cost-effective thus far.
Despite the clear excellence of his initial presentations, he was unable to translate this into anything concrete. In fact, he didn’t contribute to a goal until his eleventh Premier League appearance, which was an assist against rival Brighton.
Nketiah only has one league goal as of late April 2025, and that came in a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa. In 24 appearances, he has also contributed two assists in the league (assuming you consider winning a penalty to be an assist).
Oliver Glasner’s first-choice option, Jean-Philippe Mateta (on 13 goals), has limited him to just seven Premier League starts. When he had a terrible cameo off the bench against Brighton in early April and was sent off after ten minutes, it won’t have helped his cause.
Nketiah has mostly been starting in cup competitions or coming off the bench, just like he did at Arsenal. With two goals in three FA Cup and League Cup games, he has at least shown himself to be more dependable in these circumstances.
His goals in the last two FA Cup rounds have propelled the Eagles to the semi-finals, where they will face Aston Villa. However, as was the case in the previous round, Mateta is probably going to be trusted to start before the Englishman.
ans, Players and Media Make Feelings Known on Nketiah at Palace
Mixed feelings after a mixed season
Despite his evident difficulties, Nketiah has maintained his composure and hard effort throughout his first season at Palace, suggesting that positive sentiments still exist. For instance, when captain Marc Guehi commended his teammate following his FA Cup quarterfinal goal, popular Eagles podcaster HLTCO added:
“No one at Palace says anything negative about Eddie Nketiah. He is the model pro by all standards; he is popular, extremely diligent, and never complains or causes trouble. Guehi’s actions and the teammates’ responses to his goals say a lot.
He came off the bench against Bournemouth in his most recent game, when Palace was down to ten men. Nketiah received a 6/10 player rating for his 15-minute cameo as the game ended in a scoreless draw.
Despite his brief service, journalist Bobby Manzi at least supported him to start the following game (April 23) against Arsenal. After a hectic week and an FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, it would make sense to start him against Arsenal on Wednesday.
Actually, Nketiah has had a lot of ups and downs this season. Possibly best summed up by his consecutive games against Brighton and Southampton. Fans remarked that he looked “lively, nearly scored a worldie for the win” when he came off the bench against the Saints. Additionally: “His late-game pace will have the back lines sweating profusely.” He only missed a late Golazo to win it, but he was threatening.”
However, he was sent off in the derby against Brighton a few days later, which infuriated a lot of supporters. At least one supporter was able to write an honest assessment and find the humorous side of things:
Nketiah: I’m at a loss for words. He has been a huge letdown for 30m, but he appeared against Brighton, kicked one of their players in the face, and was dismissed. Almost deserves a cult hero status.
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