Arsenal’s Nketiah Set To Take On Henry’s Legendary No 14 Shirt As Striker Signs New Deal

The Gunners striker will be staying at Emirates Stadium for another five years

Arsenal are preparing to announce that Eddie Nketiah has signed a new contract, GOAL can confirm.

The striker’s old deal expired this summer and he had looked set to leave after rejecting multiple attempts to get him to sign an extension.

But following extensive talks in recent weeks, and having enjoyed a successful end to the 2021/22 season which saw Nketiah start eight consecutive Premier League games, a new contract has now been agreed.

What are the details?
Nketiah has agreed a five-year deal, which will run until 2027.

He becomes the latest product of Arsenal’s Hale End academy to sign a new long-term extension, following on from Bukayo Saka in 2020 and Emile Smith Rowe in 2021.

It is understood that as well as signing a new deal, Nketiah has also taken on Arsenal’s legendary No. 14 – the shirt worn by all-time record goalscorer Thierry Henry.

Arsenal will confirm Nketiah’s new contract in the coming days, ending the hopes of clubs like Crystal Palace and Brighton, who were all hoping to sign the 23-year-old.

Time to prove the doubters wrong
By Charles Watts, GOAL’s Arsenal correspondent

The last few months have seen a major turnaround in fortunes for Nketiah.

Up until April 16, he hadn’t started a single Premier League game and looked certain to be leaving for free, before Arteta gave him a chance in place of the misfiring Alexandre Lacazette.

It was a chance Nketiah grasped with both hands, scoring five goals in eight starts.

The form he showed saw Arsenal double their efforts to keep him at the club and now he has been rewarded with a lucrative long-term deal.

Nketiah’s challenge now is to maintain the type of form he showed during that run at the end of last season. He must prove that it was not just a flash in the pan.

He has an opportunity now to really cement himself as an important figure at the club and prove his doubters – of which there are still many – wrong.

There will be lots of talk about Nketiah taking on the No. 14 shirt, but what it does show is that the youngster is certainly not short on confidence.

He now has big boots to fill at Arsenal. Whether he can do that, remains to be seen.