Arsenal forward nears exit door

Eddie Nketiah is closing in on a move to Nottingham Forest, according to Fabrizio Romano, who Football Park ranks as a tier one source.

The Arsenal striker has agreed personal terms with Forest who are increasingly confident that a deal can be struck.

Talks between the two clubs have now reached the final stages with the fee expected to be in the region of £30 million.

🚨🌳 Eddie Nketiah has just agreed on personal terms with Nottingham Forest as talks are advancing to final stages with Arsenal.#NFFC confident to get it done soon.

Feyenoord rejected €26m plus add-ons for Santiago Giménez also offered today. pic.twitter.com/ASCMZvPeLT

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 21, 2024

Why is Eddie Nketiah leaving Arsenal?

Ever since his first-team debut in 2017, Nketiah has struggled to make the centre-forward position his own at Arsenal.

The England international first burst onto the scene in the EFL Cup, scoring a brace off the bench on his senior debut against Norwich City. His impressive introduction earned him further chances under Arsene Wenger who gave him minutes in both the Premier League and UEFA Europa League later that season. In the following season, the forward continued to play the majority of his football for the Under-23s, occasionally featuring for the first-team. However, with minutes at the top-level hard to come by, Nketiah went on loan to Leeds United ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

In his six months at Elland Road, the striker scored three Championship goals and earned a winners medal as Leeds returned to the Premier League after a 16-year absence. Since his return to Arsenal, Nketiah has been a bit-part player for Mikel Arteta, often coming off the bench for the final third of matches.

However, despite having a lack of chances, Nketiah has made the most of the opportunities that have been presented to him. When both Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Jesus have been injured in past seasons, the 25-year-old has been called upon to fill their void. Though he may not be a crucial part of the Arsenal machine, he has often been relied upon to step up and has starred in huge victories against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in recent campaigns.

Highest Non-Penalty xG per 90 in the Premier League since 2021/22 (900+ mins):

◎ 0.76 - Erling Haaland
◎ 0.68 - Darwin Núñez
◎ 0.59 - Diogo Jota
◎ 0.59 - Callum Wilson
◎ 0.58 - Sadio Mané
◎ 0.54 - Mohamed Salah
◉ 0.54 - Eddie Nketiah

Your defence is in trouble...

— Squawka (@Squawka) October 30, 2023

Though he has lived the dream of playing for his boyhood club, it looks as though now be the best time to move on and take his career to the next level. It is expected that a deal to take Nketiah to Nottingham Forest will accelerate even further in the coming days.