Arsenal report: Mikel Arteta faces striker crisis as starlet wants January exit

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Arsenal are concerned that Eddie Nketiah still wants to leave despite his hat-trick on Tuesday

Eddie Nketiah
(Image credit: PA)

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah still wants to leave the club despite his recent hat-trick against Sunderland, according to reports.

The academy graduate scored three times in Tuesday's 5-1 thrashing of League One opposition in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

That was only the striker's third start of the season, and none of those have come in the Premier League.

West Ham, Crystal Palace and Brighton are among the clubs hoping to take advantage of the striker's contractual situation.

"We are trying really hard to do the best that we can. The contract has an expiry date and you cannot control that," Mikel Arteta said of Nketiah this week.

"We have had discussions with Eddie for a long time. He is a player we admire and want to keep. We will continue to do our best to keep him because we want him to be part of our project."

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Greg Lea
Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).