Arsenal’s New Thierry Henry Eddie Nketiah Nets Hattrick in Preseason Friendly

Arsenal’s New Thierry Henry Eddie Nketiah Nets Hattrick in Preseason Friendly

Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:05 PM
In this article:
English Premier League logo
ENG Premier League
England
  • Eddie Nketiah has shown signs he will be able to walk in the big shoes of Aubameyang and Thierry Henry with a hattrick in a preseason friendly match
  • Nketiah signed a new contract that will keep him at the North London club until 2027 following the expiration of his previous deal
  • He finished last season in good form, starting Arsenal's last eight league games and scoring five goals

Eddie Nketiah is up and running as he bagged a hat trick for Arsenal in a preseason friendly against lower-tier side Ipswich Town.

Nketiah, who was assigned the iconic No.14 jersey after he penned a new deal with the Gunners, proved he is more than capable of filling the big shoes of Aubameyang as Arsenal's leading marksman.

Eddie's treble and solitary strikes from Belgian midfielder Sambi Lokonga and Folarin Balogun were enough to hand Mikel Arteta's charges a comfortable 5-1 win in their first outing in preseason.

Eddie Nketiah, Arsenal, friendly, behind closed doors, preseason, No. 14, Thierry Henry, Aubameyang
Eddie Nketiah began his preseason with a banger with the forward scoring a treble in Arsenal's 5-1 win over Ipswich Town in a behind-closed-door fixture. Photo credit: @EddieNketiah9
Source: Twitter

The 23-year-old broke the game's deadlock in less than a minute from the blast of the whistle to shoot Arsenal into the lead.

Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

He turned provider when he teed off budding midfield gem Lokonga to increase Arsenal's tally.

The Gunners continued their rampage with Nketiah adding a brace to his early strike to close the first half with a hat trick and most importantly give Arsenal a 4-0 lead.

After recess, Mikel Arteta made wholesale changes to his lineup giving some game time to Academy products.

Folarin Balogun grabbed the opportunity with all arms when he netted Arsenal's fifth after Ipswich scored a consolation goal.

Nketiah and his teammates will be heading to Germany on Monday as they continue with preseason.

Arsenal will begin their 2022-23 Premier League season with an away trip to London rivals Crystal Palace on Friday, August 5.

Eddie Nketiah excited to pen new Arsenal deal

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that incoming Ghanaian forward Eddie Nketiah says he has an 'unfinished business' at Arsenal following his five-year contract extension with the Gunners.

The 23-year-old is out of contract at Arsenal at the end of the season but his performances this year have encouraged the Gunners to keep hold of him.

Nektiah made 92 first-team appearances and scored 23 goals since his first-team debut in 2017.

Authors
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe photo
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and La Liga editor with five-year experience. He previously worked with Sports Corna and 360SportsGH.
Tags
GhanaWorld