EDDIE NKETIAH (£2.4m) was Dream Team's big winner this weekend.
The 24-year-old may not have featured at all at the Emirates on Saturday had Gabriel Jesus (£5.2m) not suffered a hamstring injury against Sevilla in Gameweek 9.
But with the Brazilian forward sidelined, Nketiah was selected to lead the line for Arsenal against Sheffield United and he obliged with an excellent hat-trick before the hour-mark.
The Gunners registered a comfortable 5-0 victory over Paul Heckingbottom's side and while there were plenty of Dream Team points to go around, nobody came close to the club's homegrown poacher.
Nketiah took the Blades for 20 points when all was said and done, notching almost a third of his season total in one fell swoop.
It's no surprise that Arsenal's No14 currently features in just 2.1% of teams – he was a rotational player just a few days ago.
However, with Jesus expected to be out for "a few weeks" Nketiah is virtually guaranteed his fair share of minutes throughout November.
This neatly coincides with a relatively favourable run of fixtures for Mikel Arteta's side, meaning there could be more points to come in the immediate future.
Granted, a trip to St James' Park first up in Gameweek 11 has to be considered a tough test but Arsenal will feel confident of a home win over Sevilla in the Champions League having beaten the La Liga side in Spain.
Arsenal then face Burnley, Brentford, Lens, Wolves and Luton to take them into early December.
Most read in Football
BECKS BLAST
Rebecca Loos tells Beckham to ‘be honest’ & blasts Netflix doc as ‘rehearsed’
DRINK UP
Drinkwater RETIRES at 33 after ‘being in limbo too long’ following Chelsea release
HE’S DONE FER
Furious Keane tells Ten Hag to STRIP Fernandes of captaincy after City loss
RIP LEGEND
Villa lead tributes as club record appearance maker Charlie Aitken dies aged 81
Given that Aston Villa and Newcastle are the only two teams that have scored more league goals than the Gunners this season, Nketiah should be assured a steady stream of chances in the coming weeks.
And if Gameweek 10 is anything to go by, he should convert those opportunities into healthy returns.
Bukayo Saka (£6.5m) remains Arsenal's primary threat in the realm of Dream Team – he's one of just four assets into triple figures (101 points) in 2023/24.
However, the England winger is expensive while Nketiah is cheap as chips at £2.4m right now, offering an affordable route into Arsenal's attack.
The main drawback is that Dream Team bosses may find it impossible to fit the striker into their XI.
Erling Haaland (£7.5m) and Mohamed Salah (£6.5m) are going about their elite-level business as usual with Julian Alvarez (£4.7m), Ollie Watkins (£4.7m), Son Heung-min (£4.8m) and Darwin Nunez (£4.2m) all thriving as well – not forgetting Newcastle's strikers.
Gaffers are spoiled for choice up front at the moment and Nketiah's hat-trick brings him into the mix.
Decisions, decisions…
talkSPORT BET Welcome offer
Get £30 in free bets when you bet £10 – CLAIM HERE
18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10 on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 3x £10 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Source: Read Full Article
