Crystal Palace boss hints at new role for Eddie Nketiah following Arsenal exit

Yesterday at 06:26 AM

Eddie Nketiah won’t be playing as a striker for Crystal Palace, Oliver Glasner has stated after the former Arsenal star opened his account for his new club.

The 25-year-old departed his boyhood club on deadline day, swapping north for south London in a deal worth upwards of £25million.

He looked sharp on his debut for Palace in the 2-2 draw with Leicester and scored his first Eagles goal on Tuesday night in a 2-1 Carabao Cup win at Queens Park Rangers.

But fans have been quick to spot that Nketiah is not playing in his usual centre-forward position, but rather as an attacking midfielder alongside Eberechi Eze and behind Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Palace manager Glasner assures this tactical tweak was planned from the beginning, saying in his post-QPR press conference: ‘You can trust that we did our homework before signing him.

‘When you watch Eddie play at Arsenal, he played as a nine he was very involved in the game. He's not a pivot, like in basketball, who is waiting for the ball.

‘He's so, so smart in finding the space. He can play as a nine, as this 10, and when we switched three days ago to a 4-4-2 against Leicester, he can play around the striker.

‘He has such a good feeling [for the game]. Sometimes, he needs to stay in the pocket and then make the run in behind. 

‘When Ebs [Eze] put a chip over, he ran in behind. He was waiting for the cutback when Tyrick Mitchell gave him the pass for the second chance. These are different situations, but he has a feeling to make the right decisions.’

While Glasner has not ruled out returning Nketiah to the No.9 role, Mateta’s incredible form – 17 goals in his last 19 games – means he’s likely to play in a deeper role as long as his teammate is in the side.

Eze brilliantly set up Nketiah for his maiden goal before going on to score the winner against QPR, and even played a part in convincing his fellow England star to swap the Emirates for Selhurst Park.

‘He's a top player, I know that,’ Eze added.

‘If you put him in the right places he’s going to finish, and today he’s got the first one [for Palace]. I’m sure many will come after this.’

Nketiah’s goal was his first since last December and he’ll be hoping to end his near year long wait for a Premier League goal on Saturday evening when the Eagles host Manchester United.

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