‘Not ruthless’: Arteta has to start 24-year-old Arsenal man over £65m player this weekend

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been urged to start Eddie Nketiah ahead of Kai Havertz on Saturday against Nottingham Forest.

Pundit Don Hutchison was speaking on ESPN FC about the selection conundrum at Arsenal this weekend.

Arsenal fans have every right to be very optimistic ahead of the start of the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta has brought in three of his top targets this summer and they had an immediate impact on Sunday.

The Gunners won a penalty shootout against Manchester City to take home the Community Shield.

Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber both looked comfortable in their competitive debuts for the club.

Kai Havertz was asked to play up front due to an injury to Gabriel Jesus that has ruled him out of the start of the season.

His hold-up play and pressing was good, but he missed Arsenal’s two best chances of the first half.

Arteta has now been urged to start Eddie Nketiah ahead of Havertz on Saturday.

The £65m German international is better suited playing in a deeper role, while Nketiah’s goalscoring instincts have already been on show in pre-season.

Arteta told to select Nketiah over Havertz

Speaking about the centre-forward position at Arsenal, Hutchison said: “I disagree slightly that you stick with him [Kai Havertz] because you paid the money, I think I would play Eddie Nketiah as the number nine. I think he’s more used to being in the width of the 18-yard box.

“Towards the end of last season when he did play when [Gabriel] Jesus was injured, I thought he did quite well.

“Listen, we’re looking at Kai Havertz and we all know he’s a good player, but a number nine or a false nine is not his position.

“He’s not ruthless enough, he never will be unless something really happens in his game where he has a real shot of confidence and a burst of goals where he can get that ruthless streak.

Manchester City v Arsenal - The FA Community Shield

I don’t think that’s going to happen, it didn’t really happen at Leverkusen, he’s better playing sort of behind strikers.

“The same at Chelsea whenever he got chances he never really looked convincing, he doesn’t look like he’s ruthless enough to burst the back of the net.

“You’ve seen the chances, if that’s Erling Haaland, the chances that he got, Haaland takes one of them for sure because that’s what strikers do.

“I would put a little bit of faith in Eddie Nketiah at the start of the season while Jesus is injured.”

TBR View – Time for Arsenal to put faith in Nketiah

Havertz demonstrated at Chelsea that he didn’t play his best football as a centre-forward.

Continuing to test him on Saturday when the season has already started is a risk.

Arsenal created some decent chances on Sunday against Manchester City and need a player on the pitch who can convert those into goals.

Nketiah is more likely to do that than Havertz right now and Arteta needs to give the former England youth international a chance.

Havertz has a big future ahead of him at Arsenal but needs time to adapt to his new surroundings.