Eddie Nketiah has long been thought of as a bit of a throwback striker, a poacher’s poacher whose premier gift is for his pursuit’s purest art: that of sticking the ball in the net.
But what of the photographic recall for every goal that all centre-forwards are supposed to possess? On that front, it seems, the Arsenal man is not quite so blessed.
"Did I score against him?"
We meet at the launch of Nketiah’s new partnership with Under Armour, hours after goalkeeper David Raya’s transfer from Brentford has been confirmed. Having come straight from the Arsenal training ground, he has, evidently, missed the chance to greet his new team-mate with an early jibe.
In the end, a hint jogs the memory, the goal in question coming on this very day in 2019, when Nketiah came off the bench to start his Championship loan spell at Leeds with a late winner against the Bees.
"Oh, yeah, I did!" he says with a smile. "I’ll have to remind him about that!
“That was some day — Elland Road erupted that night."
Much has changed for Nketiah in the four years since, if not always at the pace he might have liked. Now, though, with Gabriel Jesus sidelined, the Englishman finds himself starting a season as Arsenal’s main man up front for the very first time.
"I’ve always believed I could lead the line," he tells Standard Sport, though plenty of others were unsure.
When Jesus injured his knee at the World Cup last year, there were fears that Arsenal’s title challenge would implode in the New Year. Instead, Nketiah scored five times in four games after the Premier League’s restart to keep it burning deep into the spring.
"At that time the team were in a really good spot, top of the table, and I wanted to be part of that, to contribute and keep us there" he explains. "I was really proud of that run. It shows the quality I have and people got to notice that. I want to build on that this season, get more game time, show more consistency."
Already Nketiah is up and running for the new season, breaking the deadlock in the opening-day win over Nottingham Forest after being left out of the Community Shield.
New signing Kai Havertz had been given the nod for that game, but Arteta claimed only a blind man could have ignored Nketiah’s training-ground response —even if the player himself is not quite sure what he did differently. "I just tried to do what I do every week!" he says. "Just try to give the manager a headache — I see training as a big opportunity."
Predicting Arteta’s teams this season already looks likely to prove a fool’s errand, a propensity to tinker the latest trait the Spaniard appears to have inherited from mentor Pep Guardiola.
"As players, we have to be fluid, we have to be ready to chop and change, because that’s the way football’s going these days," Nketiah adds.
Wherever he plays on the pitch, Nketiah has already proven some additional worth off it, helping sell the club to new signing Declan Rice, the pair having been team-mates in Chelsea’s youth set-up before being released on the same day as teenagers.
"You know what, I had a little word, but I’m sure the pull of Arsenal did most of the talking!" he says. "He just asked me a few questions about the club and what it’s like.
"He had similar qualities as a kid, but he’s a much more rounded player now. He’s got amazing experience and quality. He’s a real presence."
That presence is the kind the Gunners will need at Crystal Palace on Monday, Selhurst Park the place where last season’s thrilling run began with a statement victory but where several previous campaigns have stuttered.
Nketiah, too, will be out to continue his encouraging start, the hope that before long his sheer volume of goals will be making each of them tough to remember.
Eddie Nketiah was speaking at the official opening of Under Armour’s new Brand House on Oxford Street.
