Alan Shearer meets Eddie Nketiah: England, Arteta, Bielsa and the joy of goals
By Alan Shearer Nov 20, 2020
This feels like a big moment in a big season for Eddie Nketiah, a staging post in a young career. He has emerged at Arsenal, he has been on loan at Leeds United, he has come back to the Emirates Stadium and been given a chance and now he has broken my goalscoring record for the England under-21 team, a mark which stood for three decades. Everything is there for him. It’s up to him to take it.
That sequence with the under-21s — 16 goals in 14 appearances — felt like a good excuse to interview Eddie, although I told him at the start of our chat on Zoom that maybe I should be giving him grief instead. “You’ve got bigger records to worry about!” he replied, which was kind, although he ruined it by saying he’d been watching some “old videos” of me since breaking the record. Old videos. Wow. Cheers for making me feel ancient.
But then this is a story about age, about time, about that big moment I mentioned at the start. Although everything happens so quickly in football — the days and games pass in a blur — it should give Eddie pause for reflection. In our 45 minutes together, we talked about that, about seeing Marcelo Bielsa close up, the ferocity and fever of his training sessions. We talked about the detail of Mikel Arteta, these two tactical, system-based managers at two huge, restless clubs.
We talked about helping Leeds win the Championship and the challenge he faces at Arsenal. I also wanted to acknowledge his progress so far; it’s right to celebrate that achievement with the under-21s, although it should only be the start of something, rather than an ending. What shone through was this Lewisham lad’s positive attitude, his lust for goals, that winning smile. I really liked him. And he impressed me at the end when he turned the tables and posed a few questions of his own.
I remember my own elevation to the 21s when I was setting out at Southampton. Did I think I’d made it? Yeah, too right. But that was a mirage. I’m pretty sure that only two or three of us graduated to the senior England team from that group and that final step is ridiculously big. That’s the point that Eddie has reached, for club and country. He is on the cusp, just about there. One more stride to take…
The encouraging thing is that Eddie knows it, too. There is no entitlement or arrogance. “I was buzzing, so excited, when I got my first call-up to the 21s,” he says. “You have that feeling of being one step closer to senior level and knowing you’re not quite there yet. Being closer motivates me, being within touching distance of reaching it, but I’ve also got to keep working and keep pushing. I feel comfortable there, very confident.”
And this is a different era, of course. Gareth Southgate, my old international team-mate, made the transition from manager of the under-21 side to the full England team and that pathway is clear for players now. Eddie grew up in Chelsea’s youth system alongside Mason Mount and Declan Rice, both of whom played against Iceland this week. Phil Foden was in the senior team. This is a youthful, energetic England.
“It puts a smile on my face seeing Declan and Mase playing together,” Eddie says. “We were all playing for Chelsea under-10s; you couldn’t separate those two. It’s great to see kids you’ve grown up with doing well and it motivates me to keep going and keep pushing. Keep doing that, keep working hard and you can play at that level. It’s possible. It doesn’t matter how young you are, Gareth will give you that opportunity.”
To get it in the first place, you need to be playing for your club. This is the hurdle all young footballers face. I made well over 100 league appearances for Southampton, but I always felt like a youngster there. It wasn’t until I left for Blackburn Rovers that I truly felt comfortable in the dressing room, with who I was and what I was good at. That I belonged. A club had paid money for me and I enjoyed that pressure. I went to a different level.
“It’s a similar journey for me,” Eddie, 21, says. “I’m playing a bit more regularly for Arsenal so I’m developing that confidence with the boys. You get that stability in yourself and from your team-mates. You feel that love, that homely feeling. I know I still have a long way to go, so it’s about continuing to grow and continuing to assert myself in the team and show that I’m good enough to be there, to play week-in and week-out.”
There have been 14 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal this season and three goals. It’s a continuation of the faith that Arteta showed when Eddie returned from Leeds in January and could have left on another loan. “It was a big boost, definitely,” he says. “It was nice to feel wanted, that I had a role to pay at the club. There were quite a few offers for me to go out again, but the manager wanted to give me that chance.
“That gave me the confidence that I’m good enough to play here. I’m very grateful he stuck to his word. At the end of last season, I think you could see me growing with every performance. This is a big year for me, to get more starts and show what I can do. I believe in my ability and know that if I keep working hard I’ll be able to transform all the things I’ve done at youth level and the glimpses I’ve shown at professional level on a regular basis for Arsenal.”
He is relishing Arteta’s attention. “He works a lot with the team and in units, making sure everyone knows their jobs,” Eddie says. “We do a lot of tactical work and video analysis of our games and our opponents. It’s been very good. Mikel is a very hands-on manager, so he’ll stay out for extra work with you if you want it. He’s always there to speak to on the pitch, to give you extra tips.
“For me, I feel as though I know my role as the No 9 in the team and exactly what I need to do. You add your own spin to it and play your own game, but he’s very clear on the detail of how the team is going to work and how we’re going to play. It’s very good that we stick to our own style of play no matter which team we’re playing against. We’re consistent with that, which definitely helps.”
Arteta gets hands-on with Nketiah in Arsenal training (Photo: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
I don’t imagine it’s easy to play up front in this Arsenal side. They’re not the most creative of teams and the forward is often on his own. I played alongside some really good strikers, people who complimented my game or gave defenders something else to think about. Confronting experienced centre-halves is difficult enough when you’re 28 or 29 and in your prime, let alone when you’re 21 and trying to make an impact.
I had a spell playing up top alone at Southampton, with Matt Le Tissier on one side and either Rod or Danny Wallace on the other. It’s a tough job. The fundamentals don’t change in that you’ve still got to get into the box, it’s just that you have to do more work before getting there, from bringing other people into the game, dropping deeper when you’re asked to defend, closing defenders down. And yet you still have to be the focal point.
When I watch Eddie’s goals for the under-21s, I see a finisher (and I love the joy it brings him). I see someone who can score with his left and his right, who gets a lot of his goals from around the six-yard box. He’s not toweringly tall (about 5ft 9in) or muscular, so perhaps the role he is being asked to play is not a natural one, but it is certainly not an impossible task. The key point is that the good players, the best players, find a way to do it.
What are his strengths? “My movement to get in behind or to find space in the box,” he says. “I feel like I’m quite comfortable with finishing off both feet. That’s something I’ve worked on a lot. I feel like I’m good at combining with other players and linking up with one or two touches. Those are important qualities to have as a striker. I know there are things I can improve and work on.”
Like what? “Everything, really. As a striker, you can always improve your finishing, your hold-up play. The most important thing is for me to perform consistently to the levels I know I can. That starts in training and Mikel is always watching, making sure you’re working hard. It’s taking opportunities, but also staying level-headed if you don’t get them. Whether it’s 20 minutes or 90, it’s making sure you do the best you can in those moments.”
Eddie admits that Arsenal are in “a transitional phase”. That adds to his quest. “You might only get that half a chance,” he says. “There probably haven’t been as many chances as I would like, but I feel like I’m making those runs, penetrating well, asking for the ball and getting into the right places, so as long as I do that and continue to press from the front, those chances will come. And then it’s about being cool and converting them.”
When I was Eddie’s age, I didn’t stand on ceremony. I would readily walk back into the dressing room and tell a midfielder or a winger in no uncertain terms that he should have passed to me and that he’d better do it next time. Sometimes, I’d even be a bit more forthright than that! The world has turned and I don’t quite get the feeling that Eddie is the same as me, but he can plainly stand up for himself.
“I’m an emotionally-invested player, so I want to win,” he says. “I want to succeed. I can moan a bit or have a quiet word after a game or maybe it’ll be a bit more aggressive, but we all have a good relationship, so we can say those sorts of things to each other and not take it personally. I try not to get overly frustrated because if you get too much in your feelings, you’re not concentrating on your next chance. You have to find the right balance.”
When I texted Ian Wright, my mate and Match of the Day colleague, to tell him I was interviewing Eddie, I got a characteristically bubbly response. Wrighty has walked the same path and developed into something of a mentor for Eddie. “Fox in the box!” Wrighty said. He pointed out that Alexandre Lacazette is not playing with much confidence and that Eddie needs to realise “this is his time! He needs to grab the chance”.
Time, moments; it’s that story again. Eddie is too polite and too respectful to put it in those terms, but that is the life of a striker, a player. You work to take somebody else’s place and then you double down on keeping it. To do that means one thing, mainly: goals. He describes Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as “like big brothers,” and it’s that strange sporting situation. You laugh, you socialise, you compete like tigers.
“I’ve got a very good relationship with both of them,” Eddie says. “They’re top players whose records speak for themselves. Off the pitch, they’re great guys. As a young player, to compete with them, to push each other, is brilliant. I watch how they finish in a certain way, ask them how got into a certain position or what they were thinking when they got there. Training with them just raises your level. I’m so grateful to have them.”
Which is fine, but he can’t feel guilty if gets in and takes one of their places. Eddie laughs. “You can’t, to be fair. That’s the aim, isn’t it?” It is a dog-eat-dog world. “Yeah, definitely,” he says.
Wrighty has been good for him. “Throughout my time at Leeds he was always checking up on me and he came to a few games, giving me advice here and there,” Eddie says. “That’s so nice. He’s an Arsenal legend and was a great striker, but he’s also just a special person. Whenever, I need to speak to somebody, he’s always there and available.”
When Eddie joined Leeds in August last year, he tipped his hat to another Gunners superstar, taking the 14 shirt in honour of Thierry Henry. He had played for Thierry at Arsenal’s academy. “I was 16 and a first-year scholar,” he says. “I’d always tried to be like him in the playground, so to work with him was amazing. I had a great season with him. When I went to Leeds, the No 9 wasn’t available, but the 14 was and I loved that number.”
Leeds helped shape him and not necessarily in the most straightforward manner. They had been asked to make a case for his services, as had Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bristol City and, with typical Bielsa detail, they made a PowerPoint presentation. “It felt like the right place for me,” Eddie says. “The manager was a big plus as well. It was a project, a chance to be part of something special, bringing Leeds back to the Premier League after so long.
“Looking back on it, I have no regrets. I learned a lot and I pushed myself to an extent I probably hadn’t done before. I’m very grateful for my time there.”
It did not pan out quite in the way he wanted. There were not enough starts and then just at the moment he was due to be given an extended run in the side he succumbed to an abdominal injury. “It was very frustrating,” he says. “I’d played quite well whenever I’d come on or started and felt I was in good form. That was a difficult time, but those things are going to happen in your career, so it was good to deal with it at a young age and learn how to get past it.”
Arsenal decided to cut short his loan, but “there was no fall-out with the manager or anyone else,” Eddie says. “I had a wonderful time there and met a lot of lovely people.” He made 17 league appearances for Leeds, enough for a Championship medal at the end of the season. “It was nice to feel my contributions were thought of,” he says. “I sent them all congratulations when they came up. It’s so good to see them back in the Premier League.”
The experience of working under Bielsa was something to be savoured; is the Argentinian as intense as he appears? “Yeah, I would say he is, to be fair!” Eddie says. “He’s very different, that’s the first thing I’d say. After coming through at Arsenal and Chelsea, I was used to training in a certain way and there was a lot of adapting to do, but I knew I would develop under Marcelo.
“Training was very intense. It was a lot of drills and structured work rather than free play. I’m sure that when I came back to Arsenal I was the fittest I’ve ever been and that shows in the way Leeds play. It’s so energy-based. He pushes each and every player each and every day to get the maximum out of them. There would be a lot of running, even when we got close to a game. It was great to get out of my comfort zone like that.
“There’s no doubt I would have liked to have played more minutes. There’s no hiding that, but at the same time I’m pleased with what I managed to do. To be in a testing environment like that, in an aggressive, energetic team that plays in the right way, was really good for me. It gave me a different mentality coming back to Arsenal. And Leeds as a whole is a great club, with that massive, passionate fanbase who eat, sleep, breathe football.”
Nketiah lets fly for Leeds where Bielsa played a big role in his development (Photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
Leeds are a front-foot side and so are Arsenal. In the modern game, pressing has become a phenomenon; Jurgen Klopp does it, Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino did it at Tottenham Hotspur. There is a danger in sounding like an old fart — please don’t mention those “old videos” again, Eddie — but it’s almost exactly what England did under Terry Venables in 1996 and, in particular, Glenn Hoddle at the World Cup in 1998.
Pressing hasn’t just happened; we were coached to line ourselves up and use our body shape to send defenders into traffic. The forwards set it off, angling our runs. Even before my time, Ian Rush at Liverpool was a master of pressing from the front, closing down defenders with an incredible work-rate. I wonder whether it is all that different now.
“I think it’s similar,” Eddie says. “Our focus is that basically you’re the first line of defence. When you go, you have to go full pressure, you defend from the front and shepherd the play and try to make it predictable. That’s what we do at Arsenal. As a forward, it’s not your first instinct to do that continually, but once you can see that it works, you buy into it more. You invest in it and do it more consistently.”
What never changes is a striker’s insatiable desire for goals, the thrill you feel when the ball hits the net. That feeling can never be replaced by anything else. I was glad to hear that Eddie feels the same.
“It started when I was a kid,” he says. “I always enjoyed watching people scoring and was intrigued to see what kind of celebration they’d come up with. I used to play a lot of cage football with my friends at school and in the park. We’d play a game called knockouts and you’d be in a pair or by yourself and the first person to score comes out. That hunger for scoring and wanting to win just followed me from there.
“Scoring is such a great feeling. I always make sure I celebrate with a smile on my face, whether it’s a tap-in or a screamer, because I’m doing something I love and I need to be grateful and to enjoy the moment. My last goal feels as good as my first and each one drives me on to score more.”
Needless to say, this is talking my language.
Nketiah, celebrating for Arsenal, shares Shearer’s love of goals (Photo: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
I thought we were just about finished at this point, but there were three questions Eddie wanted to ask me. I mention that not to be self-indulgent, but because it kind of illustrates where he is on that journey of his.
He asked me about my goal celebration, my raised right hand. I did it once at Southampton and then did it again and when my team-mates and fans give me stick for being boring, I made a point of carrying on, which probably says something about my stubborn personality!
He asked me how I replicated game scenarios in training, how I made the most of it. The answer to that is simple: graft. There were times I had to be dragged off the pitch because I was so keen to practise my finishing. I did it every opportunity I had, finishing drills, little bits of movement. Even then I got that buzz of scoring. The goalkeepers would be sick of me because I’d always ask one to stay behind and help.
And he asked me what the turning point was when I was breaking through, what I needed to do to make that next step. I’d already mentioned my move to Blackburn and how that established me, but I also pointed out the extraordinary example of players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who can’t want for anything in life but play like they’ve got nothing, who find that inner will to improve every day.
Perhaps he was just being nice to the old fella he watched on those videos, but Eddie seems so eager to listen and learn and work and soak up information. He is an impressive young man. To come back to the start, he has reached a pivotal moment, but I truly hope he scores a bucketload of goals for club and country this season. So far, so good and a big well done on breaking my record. And now? Time to get cracking.
