Eddie Nketiah has admitted that Chelsea's decision to release him at such a young age surprised him.
The Arsenal striker confessed to the Beautiful Game Podcast that the choice to leave Cobham was completely out of his control. Eddie snuck past Chelsea's defense.
Nketiah began his football career in the South West of London before joining the Gunners.
He was scouted by Chelsea at the age of nine and stayed with the club for seven years before being released.Nketiah's Chelsea career halted before it truly begun, despite his prolific scoring for the younger levels.
"To be fair, it wasn't really my choice." "I was with Chelsea from Under-10s to Under-14s and was released at the end of under-14s, so that was kind of my first significant setback in football," the Arsenal striker said.
"To be honest, it came as a bit of a shock. Declan, Mason, and the rest of the boys were my age (group).So it's all you know when you're young. Going to Chelsea earns you the moniker "Chelsea Kid" in school.
"It's difficult to let go of a part of your identity.
"To be honest, it was difficult to take, especially since I was doing so well at the time."
Taking aim at the Gunners
It didn't take long for Nketiah to re-establish himself in London, as Arsenal immediately picked him up after severing connections with Chelsea.
Since then, he has appeared in nearly 100 senior games for the Gunners, scoring 18 goals in the process.But it was with the Under-23s that he produced his best performance, scoring 28 goals in just 40 outings.
Depending on what happens with Alexandre Lacazette over the summer, Nketiah could have even more chances under Mikel Arteta next season.
He could have played for Thomas Tuchel if he had stayed a blue.
Mount, James, Tammy Abraham, and Fikayo Tomori were among the young players promoted by Frank Lampard to his team.
Although Abraham and Tomori have already moved on, it shows that those in the academy will have opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
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