"I thought it was a joke" – Ex-Tottenham Hotspur hero claims Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah texted him for tips

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward Jermain Defoe has claimed that Arsenal star Eddie Nketiah texted him on social media to ask for advice.

Nketiah, 24, recently stole the headlines with a stellar performance in the Gunners' 5-0 Premier League victory over Sheffield United on 28 October. He bagged a hat-trick within the first hour at the Emirates Stadium, converting all of his shots on target and winning six duels at home against the Blades.

Speaking on the Premier League Productions, Defoe showered praise on the one-cap England international. He elaborated, via Premier League Productions (h/t HITC):

"I think all the stuff you want your centre-forwards to do, he [Nketiah] does. He always gets into those areas where he is going to score. What a performance."

Revealing that the Arsenal striker reached out to him, Defoe continued:

"He actually messaged me on Instagram. I thought it was a joke about Arsenal and Tottenham. In pre-season, he messaged me. He wanted to speak about finishing and movement, all that stuff."

Lauding Nketiah's attitude, the former Tottenham Hotspur man added:

"I thought you know what, I like that because that's a young player that wants to try and get as much from other players that have played the game in that position as he can. Someone who wants to learn. He is a good finisher. When he gets chances, he will score."

Nketiah, who currently has Gabriel Jesus to compete with, has opened his ongoing 2023-24 campaign on a fine note. He has scored five goals and laid out one assist in 799 minutes, spread across 14 games.

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Garth Crooks shares his view about Arsenal attacker Eddie Nketiah after recent hat-trick

In his column for BBC, former Manchester United forward Garth Crooks opined on Eddie Nketiah's latest performance against Paul Heckingbottom's Sheffield United. He wrote:

"Eddie Nketiah stepped in for the injured Gabriel Jesus and grabbed himself an impressive hat-trick."

Suggesting that the Gunners striker is not the real deal, Crooks added:

"Last week I raised the issue around the Gunners requiring a clinical striker if they are serious about stealing the title from Manchester City. Nketiah's hat-trick has not changed my view, although his third goal was a fabulous strike. If he were to score three goals against Liverpool, Manchester City or Spurs, I might be forced to reconsider."

Nketiah, who scored nine goals in 39 matches for Arsenal last season, could start in his team's upcoming match against West Ham United. He will hope to retain his starting spot in EFL Cup games during the Gunners' trip to the London Stadium on Wednesday (November 1).

Arsenal, on the other hand, have lately been reported to be interested in snapping up a top-level number nine. They have allegedly been linked with Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic and Brentford's Ivan Toney, as per FootballFanCast.