‘I thought it was a joke’: Tottenham 41-year-old shocked Arsenal player messaged him for tips
Jermain Defoe has shared that Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah messaged him for tips before the start of the new Premier League season.
The 163-goal Premier League hitman, who is now working as an academy coach at Tottenham, stated that Eddie Nketiah messaged him privately about ‘finishing’ and ‘movement’.
The 41-year-old added that he loved that from the Arsenal star because it proves that he ‘wants to learn’, as he told Premier League Productions (29/10/23 at 9:10 pm).
Well, on Saturday, Arsenal slapped bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United 5-0, with Eddie Nketiah bagging himself a hat-trick – Jermain Defoe praised his performance.
It was a big moment from the player because he hadn’t scored in the Premier League since August and he needed to step up with Gabriel Jesus out injured.
The England international has played second fiddle to the former Manchester City man since his summer transfer in 2022, as this is a chance for him to put an end to that.
Nketiah gets tips from Defoe
“He actually messaged me on Instagram,” said Defoe. “I thought it was a joke. Arsenal and Tottenham.
“In pre-season, he messaged me on Instagram. He wanted to speak about finishing and movement, all that sort of stuff. I thought you know what, I like that because that’s a young centre forward that wants to try and get as much from other players that have played the game in that position as he can. Someone who wants to learn.
“He is a good finisher. When he gets chances. I believe he will score.”
Nketiah’s movement
It’s understandable why Nketiah would knock on Defoe’s door because the duo are of a similar size and would rely on that burst of acceleration and movement in the final third in order to get the better of their opponent.
Nketiah’s first goal against Sheffield United is a prime example of that because his first touch, then finish, just left his opponent for dead.
It’s something you would have seen Defoe do on many occasions during his goal-crazy career and if Nketiah can add that to his game on a regular basis then he will hit the big numbers in the Premier League.
That’s the aim for the quick-thinking Arsenal forward, trying to compete with the best of the best in the Premier League because the club have shown faith in him by handing him a new contract.
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