Arsenal Legend Claims He'd Pick Eddie Nketiah Over Harry Kane

Martin Keown has claimed he wouldn't swap anyone in Tottenham Hotspur's team for an Arsenal player, even saying he'd rather have Eddie Nketiah than Harry Kane.

Kane and Spurs take on Arsenal in a must win north London derby on Thursday, delayed from January controversially due to Covid 19 positive tests.

When the match was originally put off no one could have known quite how important the match would end up being for both sides' ambitions to finish in the Premier League top four.

The Gunners are currently four points clear of their local rivals and know a loss would put huge pressure on them for the final two games, whilst Spurs are damning a late Luis Diaz equaliser for Liverpool last weekend, that would have otherwise put them in striking distance.

In the build up to the game, Keown was asked which of Spurs players he'd take in the Arsenal team, and the former Gunner was very certain it would be none of them, not even Kane.

"It would be easy for me to name Harry Kane, but as an Arsenal man, I don't want to take anything away from my team," he told the Daily Mail.

Kane would surely make most people's teams. Image: PA Images

"This close to the battle, I'm focusing on my club, so there's not a single Tottenham player I'd take. Not Kane. Not Son Heung-min. Not any of them. 

"I wouldn't want to say anything to hamper the confidence of someone like Eddie Nketiah, who's been a revelation over the last four wins."

As well as just being a hilariously bad opinion, it's also a bit weird that Keown as talking as if he's the manager and doesn't want to effect his players badly.

It's not like Nketiah would be reading his comments and start to worry that he's not as good as a man still tipped to potentially break Alan Shearer's all time top scorer record in the Premier League.

Even Nketiah would admit Kane gets in a combined XI, surely. Image: PA Images

Keown could have either been honest or picked a different reason for not admitting that he'd rather have Kane over Nketiah, just be really openly biased, that's fine.

In the Arsenal striker's defence, he has been in excellent form in recent weeks, scoring four times in the past four games, leading people to ask why he hasn't signed a new deal for the club yet.

Nketiah is also set to play in the World Cup in the winter, with the striker, and Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi, set to switch national allegiance.

Crouch would be Saka. Image: PA Images

At least Peter Crouch was honest, with the former Tottenham striker man enough to admit that he'd take Bukayo Saka for Antonio Conte's team, and possibly others.

"Bukayo Saka is the one. What a talent. There aren't too many I would take. Saka, definitely. Kieran Tierney, or maybe I could pinch a centre half off them," the former England striker said.

It doesn't matter what the pundits think anyway, because a Supercomputer has already predicted that Tottenham are going to win on Thursday.

Not only that, Conte's side are going to end up beating their rivals to the Champions League spot by just one point, so that's all sorted, no point playing the match.