Crystal Palace were heavily linked with signing Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal in the summer and his superb recent form suggests that he could have been a big hit in Patrick Vieira’s side.

In a recent column for Caught Offside, journalist Ben Jacobs reveals that the 23-year-old was contemplating leaving the Gunners in search of first-team football, with Palace and Bayer Leverkusen amongst the interested sides.

Nketiah’s contract at the Emirates was due to expire in the summer of 2022 but the exit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the poor form of Alexandre Lacazette opened the door for him to have a run of games under Mikel Arteta.

He would certainly take his chance, hitting five goals and one assist in the top flight last season despite starting just eight games, which convinced him to sign a new five-year deal with the Gunners, earning the famous number 14 shirt worn by Thierry Henry.

Although he would lose his starting spot to summer signing Gabriel Jesus, the Brazilian’s injury has paved the way for the Englishman to reclaim a regular place in the side and he is playing a big part in the Gunners’ title push, with another two goals last weekend as Arsenal triumphed over title rivals Manchester United.

His goals and performance in that 3-2 win saw him earn a lot of praise from the pundits on Sky Sports (via Daily Mail).

Gary Neville said: “He has been brilliant. the feeling was that when  [Gabriel] Jesus got injured they would struggle, but he has led the line brilliantly.”

Jamie Redknapp also described the £100k-per-week striker’s second goal as an “Ian Wright finish,” which considering his impact at both Arsenal and Palace during his playing career, is high praise indeed.

The former England international would hit 117 goals for Palace and 158 for Arsenal in his career and had the Eagles completed a move for Nketiah in the summer, he would have no doubt been looking to emulate those sorts of figures.

In total, the young striker has nine goals in all competitions this season, which is more than anyone in Palace’s squad has managed, so Vieira could have definitely used a player of his goalscoring ability at Selhurst Park.

If Nketiah continues to impress in a potentially title-winning Arsenal side, Palace’s failure to bring him in from the Emirates last summer will have to go down as another mistake by Steve Parish.