Newcastle transfer news: Toon hope Eddie Nketiah arrives in North East this weekend

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Newcastle United are reportedly hopeful of signing Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal.

The Magpies are going transfer crazy as we reach the end of the month, with the new Toon owners looking to strengthen Eddie Howe’s squad.

We’ve already signed one striker this month, bringing in Chris Wood from Burnley. And it looks like we could potentially add another.

According to the Telegraph, Newcastle are looking to complete a deal to sign Nketiah. The report adds that they hope he travels to the North East this weekend to finalise the move.

His Arsenal contract expires this summer, and the striker has indicated he will not be staying in North London.

Eddie Nketiah will be for the present and the future

Opportunities have been few and far between for Nketiah at Arsenal. He’s mainly been limited to cup football. Interestingly, he netted a hat-trick against our biggest rivals Sunderland in the EFL Cup last year.

The 22-year-old doesn’t have a lot of Premier League experience. He’s made 42 appearances in the top flight, scoring five goals. But he’ll hope to add to that tally if he features more regularly at St James’ Park.

With Callum Wilson currently out injured, Newcastle need more options in attack. Wood has led the line in his absence, but is yet to score his first Toon goal. It’s still early days of course, but obviously we can’t solely rely on the New Zealand international.

Nketiah will give us another option, and he’s a player who can really develop in the North East. He has a lot of potential, but has struggled to get ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in the Arsenal pecking order. And there’s no shame in that.

And given his age, he’s a much more long-term option for the Magpies compared to Wilson and Wood. He’s a signing for the present and the future of Newcastle United.

The youngster has been prolific for England’s youth sides, and needs to translate that form to the Premier League. If he can do that at Newcastle and help achieve safety, he’ll be an instant Toon hero.