Arsenal are flying this year, and while the double might have sounded like a pipe dream just a couple of years ago, it is very much still on.
Mikel Arteta has moulded a young and promising side into one of the best teams in the country, although Edu Gaspar deserves just as much praise for his transfer dealings.
The north Londoners now have the second most valuable squad in England, and while much of that value comes from the starting XI, those on the bench have also seen their value soar in recent years, notably Eddie Nketiah.
Eddie Nketiah's rise
While Nketiah broke through into senior football with the Gunners and is viewed by many as a product of the north London side, he hasn't always been an Arsenal player.
In fact, the Lewisham-born poacher started his youth career with cross-city rivals Chelsea, although the Blues released him at 14 years old after they deemed him to be too diminutive to make it as a top-flight footballer.
Appearances
164
Goals
38
Assists
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.29
It was a moment in the youngster's journey that might've discouraged many others from continuing to play, but the 5 foot 11 forward used it as motivation, later claiming, "It gives you that extra motivation and resilience when times are hard. I'm able to dig a level deeper than maybe some people can or don't want to go into. It's all part of the experience."
He made his full debut for the team in a Europa League clash against Vorskla Poltava in November 2018, and while almost the entirety of that team have been moved on, the determined marksman has remained.
The latter half of the 2021/22 season, after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had been moved on, presented the right-footed ace with his first genuine chance in the first team, and considering he finished the campaign with ten goals and one assist in 27 games, it would be fair to say he took it.
Last year was a similar story. Once again, he was called into action to replace an absent striker, only this time, it was an injured Gabriel Jesus. He finished the campaign with nine goals and three assists in 39 appearances, including a brilliant brace against his old team, Chelsea.
In all, the Englishman's stock has been steadily rising over the last few years, although with his game time remaining limited at the Emirates, it might be time for him to move on.
Luckily for Arsenal, they might be able to make a significant sum of money in the process.
Eddie Nketiah's transfer value in 2024
So far this season, the 24-year-old "monster", as he was dubbed by The Athletic's Aaron Catterson-Reid, has made 33 appearances for the Londoners across all competitions, but only 13 have been starts.
However, while the once-capped international has seemingly lost his role as the backup striker to summer signing Kai Havertz, he has still scored six goals and provided five assists in his limited game time, proving there is still a talented player there.
This is clearly what several other teams, including West Ham United, believe anyway, as it has been reported that they are one of a few sides interested in signing the 24-year-old this summer for a cool £43m.
1
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
£40m
Liverpool
August 2017
2
Alex Iwobi
£35m
Everton
August 2019
3
Folarin Balogun
£34m
AS Monaco
August 2023
4
Cesc Fàbregas
£29.6m
Barcelona
August 2011
5
Marc Overmars
£25m
Barcelona
July 2000
If Edu and Co can negotiate a deal to sell their number 14 for that price, he would become the club's most expensive sale of all time, surpassing the £40m Liverpool paid for Alex Oxlade Chamberlain in August 2017.
Ultimately, while Nketiah has been a loyal and, most importantly, useful player for Arsenal over the last few years, if they can sell him for £43m, they absolutely should. Considering he didn't cost a single penny, that wouldn't be bad business would it?
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
