Eddie Nketiah is struggling at Crystal Palace so far this season.
The £25m summer signing from Arsenal is yet to score or assist in seven Premier League appearances for Crystal Palace in the 2024/25 campaign so far.
In fairness to the England international, the attack under Oliver Glasner has been far from cohesive, with the Eagles scoring just eight goals in ten Premier League outings this term.
Putting his lack of goals aside, Nketiah also angered Crystal Palace fans with his sloppy passing in the 2-2 draw against Wolves on Saturday, with one loss of possession allowing the Old Gold to break and make it 1-1.
To make matters worse, a striker Dougie Freedman tried to sign before buying Eddie Nketiah is currently on fire.
Hugo Ekitike shining while Eddie Nketiah flounders at Crystal Palace
Back in August 2023, Crystal Palace tried to sign Hugo Ekitike from PSG, with Freedman proposing an initial loan deal including an option to buy.
The Parisians rejected the offer, and the 22-year-old ended up joining Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2024 on a similar agreement, with the German side negotiating a purchase option for the summer.
After Ekitike netted four goals and provided two assists in 14 Bundesliga appearances for Glasner’s old side, they decided to trigger that option to buy for just €16.5m (£13.9m) – a significant loss for PSG, who spent £30m to sign the Frenchman from Stade Reims back in July 2022.
Now, that is starting to look like a bargain for Eintracht Frankfurt, as the France U21 international has netted eight goals and provided four assists in just 13 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
Dougie Freedman could soon add new competition for Eddie Nketiah at Crystal Palace
Nketiah is currently struggling to match the efforts of Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has five goals and one assist in 13 appearances this season, and the Crystal Palace No.9 could soon have more competition for a starting role.
Alan Nixon claims that Freedman made a fresh enquiry for Stade Reims No.22 Oumar Diakite last week, a player Crystal Palace were also linked with during the summer transfer window.
Therefore, Nketiah needs to find some form quickly, or else he could be shoved down the pecking order.
