Eberechi Eze ambles over to take the free-kick and as he does so, Eddie Nketiah scans his surroundings. It is still early in this Carabao Cup third-round tie and QPR’s defenders are busy getting organised. Eze and Nketiah make the briefest eye contact and the grift is on: Eze quickly slides the ball into a vacant channel down the right side of the box, where Nketiah peels into space before unleashing a first-time shot through the goalkeeper’s legs.
It is Crystal Palace’s first glimpse of what to expect from their £25m summer signing, the second most expensive transfer in the club’s history. The understanding, the intelligence, the economy of effort: in one run and one touch, Nketiah shows the sharp edge he adds to a team.
He runs to the corner flag to unveil his phone-call celebration for the first time in a Palace shirt – the first time since his final Arsenal goal, almost a year ago, when he sealed a hat-trick against Sheffield United in the Premier League. Back then he was the man of the moment, having earned his first England cap a few days earlier, but what happened next is why he couldn’t stay at Arsenal any longer. Nketiah was dropped two games later and started only one more league game under Mikel Arteta all season.
“It was about me being happy,” says the 25-year-old. “I wasn’t unhappy – there were things I loved about the club, I’d been at Arsenal all my life – but at the end of the day, a football player wants to play football. Obviously only 11 can play and you have to respect the manager’s decision. But there comes a point when you have to think about your personal development.”
Nketiah’s was a familiar dilemma, especially among homegrown players at the top end of the Premier League, where squads are overflowing with talent. Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips fell out of the England picture while at Manchester City, Scott McTominay and Conor Gallagher were pushed out of Manchester United and Chelsea respectively this summer. Increasingly players are asking themselves: stay, or play?
“Especially as a striker, you need rhythm,” Nketiah says. “You see players go a couple games without scoring and then have a purple patch, but in order to have that you need that consistency in minutes. It’s difficult, but it’s life. There were times where I did play and had a run [of games] and I enjoyed it. I think that’s the difficult part. You enjoy playing so much that when you don’t have the opportunities, it’s difficult to take.”
He is speaking to The Independent backstage at a hectic fashion event for Under Armour in an east London warehouse, not a natural environment for either of us. But he is feeling settled at Palace, back in south London where his story began.
Nketiah grew up in Lewisham in a religious family, and tells a story of always being late for his under-9s Sunday team Hillyfielders because he’d been at church. The coach would admonish him but Nketiah would make amends with a flurry of goals. He was snapped up by Chelsea but released at 16, when he signed for Arsenal.
“I’ve got friends still in the area,” he says. “I think Crystal Palace as a whole, it just fits me. I feel really comfortable there. I like the way the club is, the morals they have.”
Nketiah wears No 9 but he has started the last four Palace games in an unfamiliar new role under Austrian manager Oliver Glasner, playing as a wide-ish attacking midfielder alongside Eze – “two 10s in the left and right half-spaces,” he explains – supporting striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. It is a step back from a career built on the shoulder of the last defender.
“The manager gives us a lot of freedom to be where we feel comfortable. I’m maybe getting a few more touches front facing, which is a strength of mine when I can dribble and run at opponents rather than always playing with my back to goal.”
Palace are still searching for their first league win this season, but Nketiah is convinced it is just around the corner. “Once it all clicks with the other forwards and we start to build relationships, we’re going to be really dangerous.”
His friendship with Eze was a factor in joining. They knew each other growing up in youth football and spent time together as newcomers in the England senior camp last season. “He’s a good guy,” Nketiah says. “A faithful devout Christian which is similar to myself. He’s very funny, a likeable character, good energy, really good to be around.”
Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman was determined to bring Nketiah to the club and badgered the striker throughout the summer to get the deal over the line. The player was persuaded by Glasner, too. The manager emphasises aggressive pressure high up the pitch, something Nketiah is well versed in after training under Arteta and in the merciless regime of Marcelo Bielsa while on loan at Leeds United.
Glasner, he says, allows “a bit more freedom in attacking areas” than Arteta’s precise system. “He knows when to be stern and strong, but you can get on with him, have a good conversation with him. He’s a very passionate person and really good at geeing up the boys before games, very motivating in his team talks.”
Nketiah spent nearly a decade at Arsenal, winning the FA Cup, playing in the Champions League, scoring his first Premier League hat-trick and winning his first England cap – an “amazing” experience that he wants more of. But to get back there, first he needs to play. That is why it was the right time for a new challenge, back home and yet still playing outside his comfort zone.
“I have a real belief in myself as a player, and I think I just needed to go somewhere I felt I would have opportunities to be on the pitch and improve. I know it’s not always going to click straight away, but everyone needs a platform to progress, trial and error on the pitch to learn. That was the main reason behind leaving Arsenal.
“Obviously Arsenal are challenging for the league and Palace will be in a different situation, but we’ve got a lot of talented players and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have aspirations to keep climbing up the table. I think it’s a great project here. It’s a different project, but it’s definitely a great project that will allow me a platform to showcase my talents.”