Having sold Michael Olise to Bayern Munich early in the window, and Jordan Ayew more recently, attacking recruits were high on the agenda for Crystal Palace.
Long time target, Eddie Nketiah moves across London to join the Eagles for a fee reported to be in the region of £25 million plus £5 million in add-ons.
Nketiah becomes the South London team's fifth summer signing after Maxence Lacroix, Ismaila Sarr, Daichi Kamada and Chadi Riad.
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A South London boy
The Arsenal academy graduate is originally from South London, cutting his teeth on Sundays at Hillyfielders FC, before being picked up by Chelsea’s academy and then moving on to the Gunners.
Nketiah featured sporadically in the Arsenal first team in 2017 and 2018, before a loan spell at Leeds was ended early allowing him to feature more prominently in the 2019-20 season, including in the FA Cup final. He made 27 Premier League appearances last season, netting five goals – including a hat-trick against Sheffield United.
Over the course of his Arsenal career, the England striker made 168 appearances, scoring 38 times.
On the surface the forward's goal scoring record is not entirely inspiring, albeit many of his appearances were as a substitute, so what can the Eagles expect from their new man?
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Pedigree
It’s no secret that Dougie Freedman, Palace’s Director of Football, has been an admirer of the striker for a long time, with links to the player during the last two summer transfer windows.
Despite his goal return per appearance being similar on paper to Jordan Ayew, there is reason for optimism in what the new man could bring.
Firstly, goals.
Nketiah has shown he can find the net throughout the career, even if minutes have not always been forthcoming.
The 25-year-old broke Alan Shearer’s England U21 goal scoring record, and has scored in European footballs elite competitions, as well as in the Premier League. With more opportunities likely to be given to Nketiah to play consistent minutes, do not be surprised to see the striker return the trust with a decent goal return.
The former Gunner, has showcased his elite finishing ability, and if supplied with chances the new arrival to South London will score goals,
Nketiah offers pace and a threat in behind, something Palace have been sorely lacking, which will enable an improvement in the Eagles attack in transition.
The new signing is also a prominent carrier of the ball, demonstrating good ability to turn and drive at opponents, whilst also being able to be involved in link-up play.
His defensive work-rate is also phenomenal, and Nketiah will help lead the Palace from the front.
Oliver Glasner has shown that he can both instil the belief, and the tactical set up to maximise his attacking players, and hopefully for the Eagles, the Austrian manager will be able to do the same for their new signing.
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His fit with the Mateta?
Jean-Philippe Mateta came into his own last season under Glasner, scoring 13 goals in 14 games under the Austrian. The Frenchman's scintillating form saw him called up to the France Olympic squad.
Mateta's good form continued into Paris 2024, where his goals helped propel France to the final. Despite eventually losing to Spain 5-3 after extra time, Mateta came out as one of the players of the tournament, scoring 5 goals in 6 matches.
The Eagles will hope that Mateta will continue to flourish alongside Nketiah though the current tactical fit raises questions.
It is hard to imagine Palace splashing out such a large outlay for Nketiah to play a supporting role, but there is reason to believe that Nketiah and Mateta could form a devatating partnership.
Since taking over in February, Glasner has preferred to line up in a 3–4–2-1 formation, with a single striker leading the frontline supported by two ‘number tens.’ Last season Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise occupied these supporting roles to great effect. So far this season both Sarr and Kamada have featured alongside Eze in those roles.
However, in previous iterations at Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg, Glasner has shown flexibility with his tactics, shifting between a 3-5-2 and a 3-4-2-1 depending on game state, players available and the opposition.
If utilising the aforementioned 3-5-2, it is possible Mateta and Nketiah start in a dual striker system, with Eze or Kamada likely to be deployed as the supporting ' ten' behind the pair.
With Mateta's hold up play significantly improving, it is plausible we could see quality link-up and combinations between the two, with Nketiah also excelling when on the ball and involving his teammates.
Glasner is said to have been a key figure in the signing of Nketiah, so it can be certain the Austrian manager will already have considered his usage and blend with the rest of the squad.
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Another Leader
One additional aspect that will have been noted by Freedman, is Nketiah's exceptional character and leadership.
The striker captained the England U21s at the 2021 European Championships and was described as a ‘role model’ by Mikel Arteta.
In a squad that has recently lost some big characters in Joachim Andersen and Jordan Ayew, that will also have been an important consideration.
Throughout his career, the professionalism of Nketiah has always been commended, continuing as a model professional despite his lack of opportunities at the Gunners, and Palace will hope their new man can showcase his experience at the top to help lead the Eagles to glory.
