Press conference with a Arsenal and England forward Eddie Nketiah ahead of the games against Ukraine and Scotland
He talks about his experiences in youth football and what he learnt from that, being coached by Thierry Henry ages 16, working on his link up play to fit in with Mikel Arteta's tactics, his parents supporting him during his youth career, taking on the number 14 shirt made famous by Henry, says having self belief is the best bit of advice Henry gave him and what that means coming from him, what being released by Chelsea at 14 did for his motivation, now being a teammate of Declan Rice who was also in the Chelsea youth set up, whether he ever considered moving abroad and his time on loan at Leeds.
Please subscribe, like the video and share wherever you can!
**DO NOT copy and re-upload any part of this video anywhere otherwise copyright strikes will be made! You do not have my permission**
I have all the necessary rights to use this footage, my footage is licensed through agencies, please contact me if you're unsure, you can find my email address on my 'about' page.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BeanymanSports
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@BeanymanSports
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BeanymanSports
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeanymanSports
For business enquiries, sponsorships, ads, please contact beanymansportsmarketing@gmail.com
#nketiah #eddienketiah #arsenal
Timeline courtesy of Warrior J93
0:00 Did anything in the summer?
0:49 Mentality
1:38 Thierry Henry
2:01 His role in Arsenal system
2:52 Pride of his parents
3:56 Number 14
4:42 Thierry Henry and Ian Wright advice to Nketiah
5:25 Being released
6:16 Declan Rice
6:40 Thinking about take another path?
7:21 Leeds United loan
8:37 Outro | Please like the video and subscribe!
He talks about his experiences in youth football and what he learnt from that, being coached by Thierry Henry ages 16, working on his link up play to fit in with Mikel Arteta's tactics, his parents supporting him during his youth career, taking on the number 14 shirt made famous by Henry, says having self belief is the best bit of advice Henry gave him and what that means coming from him, what being released by Chelsea at 14 did for his motivation, now being a teammate of Declan Rice who was also in the Chelsea youth set up, whether he ever considered moving abroad and his time on loan at Leeds.
Please subscribe, like the video and share wherever you can!
**DO NOT copy and re-upload any part of this video anywhere otherwise copyright strikes will be made! You do not have my permission**
I have all the necessary rights to use this footage, my footage is licensed through agencies, please contact me if you're unsure, you can find my email address on my 'about' page.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BeanymanSports
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@BeanymanSports
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/BeanymanSports
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeanymanSports
For business enquiries, sponsorships, ads, please contact beanymansportsmarketing@gmail.com
#nketiah #eddienketiah #arsenal
Timeline courtesy of Warrior J93
0:00 Did anything in the summer?
0:49 Mentality
1:38 Thierry Henry
2:01 His role in Arsenal system
2:52 Pride of his parents
3:56 Number 14
4:42 Thierry Henry and Ian Wright advice to Nketiah
5:25 Being released
6:16 Declan Rice
6:40 Thinking about take another path?
7:21 Leeds United loan
8:37 Outro | Please like the video and subscribe!
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 You started the season so well, did you do anything extra in the summer to get yourself
00:11 in that frame of mind?
00:15 I always try to each summer get that little head start before pre-season. This season
00:22 I had a really good camp, I felt fresh, I felt good. They came to us and had a good
00:27 pre-season where they worked us really hard. I think what helps is the fact that I've had
00:31 opportunities as well from the start, which has been nice getting the first few starts.
00:36 That allows you to build that rhythm and that kind of confidence and gain. I think with
00:40 every game I'm playing I feel more comfortable and getting better. Hopefully I can stay in
00:45 the team and help contribute and keep contributing to the team.
00:48 You just touched on who's helped you through the journey. I guess you, like a lot of young
00:53 players, probably had setbacks along the way. It didn't work out at one club, it did work
00:58 out at Arsenal. When you look back upon those times, does that make you stronger? If you
01:03 don't get signed for one club and it works out for you at another, does that strengthen
01:08 your mentality?
01:09 I think so. At a young age, 14, I had to deal with a big setback. It makes you resilient
01:15 and it gives you a different level of hunger. You know what it feels like to be at the bottom
01:20 and be out. You don't want to get back there. We've all got talent but what separates us
01:25 is our mentalities and how much we want it and how hungry we are. I always try to keep
01:30 that with me wherever I go, whatever level I play at. I think it's really helped me.
01:36 I think Thierry has been really good for you as well. He's the one for mentality, isn't
01:41 he?
01:42 Yeah, Thierry's been magnificent for me. I was able to be coached by him, first year
01:46 of school at 16. It was amazing. One of my best and most enjoyable seasons, being able
01:51 to bounce ideas and learn from him. He gave me a lot of confidence. Still to this day,
01:55 whenever I see him, he's always there and always supporting me. I'm really grateful.
01:59 Eddie, you've always been known as a goal poacher. We obviously saw far more to your
02:04 game with some of the Limp Cup work, particularly on Sunday. Has Mikel worked on that to fit
02:10 into that system more?
02:12 Yeah, I think naturally. I think I've always had more to my game than just goals. Obviously,
02:17 when you score goals, it's a really important role. It highlights a lot of stuff. I think
02:21 with the consistency in the game time I've been getting, I've been allowed to showcase
02:25 obviously more sides to my game. I think obviously working under a manager like Mikel, tactically
02:30 makes you so much better. You understand your role as a striker so much more than obviously
02:34 what you have to do in and around the box. I think I've definitely improved. It's not
02:39 just been this season, it's been gradual obviously over the years and all the hard work I've
02:43 put in on the training ground and also outside. I think we have great coaching staff and obviously
02:47 hopefully I can continue on this trajectory and keep improving.
02:52 You talked about the pride of your parents when the international call-up came because
02:56 of the sacrifices they made. I was wondering if you could give us some insight into some
03:00 of those sacrifices when you were younger?
03:03 It's a long list to be fair. My sisters as well. I remember just in terms of my parents,
03:09 my mum obviously and my dad. My dad would drive me to every game home away. Tours as
03:14 a kid, he would book a flight, come and watch the port. Mum would stay out brushing kit.
03:20 Sisters would finish school, come and pick me up to take me on a train all the way to
03:24 Cobham or if that would be to Hale End. There's been a lot of things and obviously also when
03:29 you get released at the age of 13, 14, them being there and supporting you and knowing
03:34 that it's not the end of the world. I think there's been loads of little things and probably
03:38 so much for me that I can't list them all. I'm so grateful to my family and also my friends
03:42 that's always supported and been there for me through the ups and downs and obviously
03:46 some special coaches along the way. Now I'm proud obviously to have those people part
03:51 of my journey and hopefully I can continue to make them proud.
03:54 You have the number 14 shirt, I'm guessing that's to do with Thierry and also is it a
04:02 sign of your confidence that you're willing to have that shirt? It's a very famous shirt
04:06 at Arsenal.
04:07 Yeah, I think 14 has always been a number I've liked. I wore it at Leeds as well and
04:13 obviously Thierry's wore it which obviously made the number a lot more special. But yeah
04:17 obviously when the number was available and was offered to me, it was one that I embraced
04:21 and obviously I'm not here to try and recreate Thierry's moments. I'm here to try and put
04:26 my own stamp on it and try and create my own special memories in that shirt which I think
04:30 has been a good start and I'm looking forward to the future. I know what it means being
04:34 an Arsenal fan to wear that number so I try to go out there and give my all every time
04:38 I step on the pitch.
04:39 Eddie, what's the best specific bit of advice that Thierry or even Ian Wright has ever given
04:46 you? Anything specific that's stuck in your mind?
04:49 Obviously just to believe in yourself. I think he came in and saw the quality I had at 16/17
04:54 and said you've got a lot of quality and you just need to believe in yourself. No matter
04:58 what anyone says, the most important thing is your belief in yourself. That's what's
05:02 going to drive you and push you and motivate you. So I think that's probably one of the
05:06 best bits of advice I've received.
05:07 And I guess when it's someone like Thierry Henry saying that, that means a lot more than
05:12 most other guys.
05:14 I think he knows what he's talking about so it's not a bad feeling, yeah.
05:18 You spoke a bit about being released. How did that change your experience and did it
05:29 make you even more determined at 13 to take the chances that came after?
05:35 Yeah I think it did. I was there from 9-14 at Chelsea and it came as a shock to me. I
05:41 was doing well at the time. Obviously Declan was of that age group as well so similar experience.
05:46 I think it just gives you a sense of awakening and you just know things can change like this.
05:52 You can lose everything you've worked for. So I think it gives you that extra bit of
05:55 motivation, resilience. When things are hard I'm able to dig a level deeper that maybe
06:01 some people can't and don't want to go into. So I think it's obviously shaped me and it's
06:06 all part of the experiences. Some boys might not have experienced that but they've also
06:09 had different lows in their careers. This was my journey and obviously it's helped me
06:13 become who I am today.
06:14 Can I just follow that up? You mentioned Declan. Is it funny that you've sort of crossed paths
06:18 again after having the same sort of disappointment and hit?
06:21 Yeah it is. I think it's just funny how life works sometimes. I think obviously we've done
06:25 the full 360 to be back together. Like I said we've had different journeys to get here but
06:31 we all are on the same path and want the same thing which is to obviously do well for our
06:35 club and obviously country as well.
06:37 You spoke about the mentality to succeed at your club but during previous seasons when
06:44 maybe you weren't in the team was there ever a consideration that you might have to take
06:48 another path? Some young players your age went abroad when they were younger and things
06:53 like that. Was that ever something you had to think about?
06:56 Yeah of course. I think there's been obviously different opportunities and different thought
07:00 processes along the way. Obviously I've always believed I can make it and play here. Obviously
07:05 everyone's journey is different. This was my journey. There's always been transfer talk
07:09 and speculation but obviously I'm happy that I've done this route and I'm proud to be part
07:14 of Arsenal. I feel like it's home to me and I'm excited to see the future and hopefully
07:18 have a long successful career here.
07:21 And with a lot of the younger players do have quite a lot of loans. You only had one at
07:26 Leeds and it got cut short at the time. Was that experience, did that kind of think to
07:32 yourself that maybe the loan system wasn't for you?
07:37 Not necessarily. I think obviously it was a good loan for myself. It was the season
07:42 that we got promoted. So, Mikel come back I think obviously through my career there's
07:47 been a lot of changes in the management which is something unusual for Arsenal who's obviously
07:52 always had one management. I think I played under three different managers. As a young
07:56 player it's hard to gauge where you are. You have to re-prove yourself each year. So I
08:01 think it's been good to have Mikel in and be here for a few years. I've been able to
08:05 obviously establish myself and progress obviously up through the ranks. I think I'm in a good
08:10 place and like I said everyone's journey is different. Some people go on loan, some people
08:14 go abroad. This was my story and hopefully I can continue to grow my story at Arsenal.
08:19 Thank you everyone, we'll end it there. Appreciate your time today.
08:23 Thank you.
08:24 Thank you.
08:45 Thank you.