Norwich are reportedly leading the chase to land Arsenal centre-forward Eddie Nketiah on loan this month. According to the Bristol Post, Norwich have swooped in with a late move in an attempt to hijack Bristol City’s deal for the striker.
The report claims that Bristol City have already agreed a loan deal for Nketiah, but Norwich’s interest has potentially scuppered their efforts – with the Canaries now said to be the favourites.
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This deal could make sense if you take a number of factors into consideration. Adam Idah, while he impressed at Preston, needs a loan move to play regular football in the Championship in order to be ready if Norwich need him next season. Having played just three senior matches for the club, he is lacking in senior experience.
If Stuart Webber can bring Nketiah in to battle with Teemu Pukki and Josip Drmic, it could allow Idah to seal a Championship loan and gain some much-needed experience at that level.
Nketiah, meanwhile, played the first half of the season on loan at Leeds and scored five goals in just four starts – although he racked up a considerable number of appearances off the bench. The England under-21 international has scored eight goals and eight games for his country at that level, which proves that he has the ability to score goals if presented with the opportunities.
With Pukki out with a hamstring injury, Nketiah could be needed to start games in the near future if he were to join Norwich. This might appeal to Arsenal as it could mean that Nketiah is able to play consistent minutes in the Premier League, rather than wasting his time sitting on the bench and not improving.
The extent of Pukki’s injury is unknown at this point, but he was not pictured in training this week leading up the trip to Manchester United this weekend.
