“That is all they are crying out for” – Darren Bent chooses Premier League club which ‘suits’ Arsenal forward

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland striker Darren Bent has claimed that Brighton & Hove Albion should try and sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

The 22-year-old Nketiah has found game time hard to come by this season and has scored five times in three Carabao Cup appearances. He has yet to score in the Premier League this season and has made it clear that he wants to leave the club either in January or during the summer.

Multiple English clubs have been linked with the striker in recent weeks. Among them are Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion. Bent believes that Crystal Palace simply do not need a young striker as they already have Christian Benteke and Odsonne Edouard.

However, Bent thinks Nketiah would be better off at Brighton:

“The Palace one surprises me when they have Benteke and Odsonne Edouard. That surprises me a little bit But Brighton, that is all they are crying out for. They play some of the nicest stuff. Danny Welbeck scored the other week, but his fitness has been an issue. Neal Maupay is like a patchy striker. He would have a period of scoring in three games here and then won’t score for a while. But Eddie Nketiah, all Brighton need is someone to stay in and around the box, then they will finish them off. Nketiah, for me, is a natural goalscorer, who will pick up them positions. Out of those two clubs, he suits Brighton.”

Eddie Nketiah expected to leave Arsenal to reignite career

Eddie Nketiah first broke into the senior Arsenal squad in the 2017-18 season. He was sent out on loan to Leeds for the 2019-20 season, where he scored five times in 19 overall appearances. Now 22, Nketiah is obviously looking for more consistent gametime, something that he has found hard to come by at Arsenal.

Arsenal have recently relied on Alexandre Lacazatte in the absence of former club captain Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang. Nketiah was on the bench for the PL clash against Norwich but was excluded from the squad for the 2-1 loss against Manchester City. Considering his potential, it is obvious that the 22-year old striker wants to start more often and establish himself.

However, Darren Bent believes Nketiah should still try and salvage his Arsenal career.

"Eddie Nketiah, I’ve been a big fan of his. I’ve watched him play for the England Under-21s and he’s hungry, he’s got a point to prove. He’s been offered a contract at Arsenal and he’s turned it down, he wants to play football and he’s not been given many opportunities. But I’m not sure leaving Arsenal at this time is the right thing to do. You look at the situation with Aubameyang and Lacazette is out of contract."

Bent backed the player and claimed that he had everything required to become a top PL goalscorer:

"I actually think he’s better than [Folarin] Balogun, personally. He’s a London boy, he’s been at the club for quite a while. I’d like to see him being given more opportunities at Arsenal. The way he scored his goals last night, his movement was exceptional. It reminded me of Ian Wright a little bit. People can say what they want about me saying that, but he was bright, he was too shifty for the defenders.”