Eddie Nketiah has been urged to push for a loan move away from Arsenal that will allow him to “get kicked”, with Kevin Campbell looking for the 21-year-old to find regular game time.
Mikel Arteta has found a place for the England U21 international within his plans at Emirates Stadium.
A starting role ahead of Alexandre Lacazette was offered to Nketiah at times last season, with a frustrating loan spell at Leeds cut short.
The youngster has, however, been restricted to just 145 minutes of Premier League football in the current campaign, with alternative options being favoured in the final third.
Campbell believes those selection calls should be edging Nketiah towards the exits, with it vital for his ongoing development that he gets competitive outings from the start – potentially outside of north London.
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“Nketiah has a knack for goals but I think he needs to go out on loan for another season, playing back-to-back games to get that confidence in his own body,” former Arsenal striker Campbell told Football Insider.
“Coming off the bench and playing sparingly is okay but there is nothing better than getting a run of starts to understand that you can do it at the top level.
“You have got to go through the tough parts. You need to get kicked, feel the pain and the soreness. That is what he needs to do.”
While Campbell is looking for Nketiah to head out of Arsenal, Ian Wright has already called on a home-grown star to work his way back in front of misfiring Lacazette in the Gunners’ pecking order.
He has told the Wrighty’s House Podcast: “We talked about Laca and people are talking about Laca’s got to be taken out. Maybe just for himself, just to have a rest.
“Eddie now should be looking at what Laca does, why Laca’s in the team, why Laca’s being picked over him even though he’s not scoring. And he’s got to start learning about the progression of himself.
“Because by now, with the goals that we know he’s capable of scoring - because he can get in the box and he can finish - he should be adding those other things to his game to be putting a bit more pressure on Laca, with all due respect to Laca.”