Arsenal kicked off their 2022/23 pre-season campaign with a comfortable 5-1 thrashing of Ipswich in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the club’s London Colney training ground.
Fresh from signing a long-term contract with the Gunners last month just before his old deal was due to expire, Eddie Nketiah netted a hat-trick wearing his new number 14 shirt.
Nketiah scored all three of his goals in the first half and also assisted one for midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga. Folarin Balogun scored Arsenal’s other goal in the second half.
This was a game for players who had returned to pre-season training at the start of the week. Those who were on international duty at the end of the 2021/22 campaign are not yet back in action.
Thomas Partey, Ben White and Nicolas Pepe also featured in the first half for the Gunners, with minutes going to returning loan players Hector Bellerin and Reiss Nelson. In the second half, Mikel Arteta turned to the next generation, including highly-rated midfielder Charlie Patino.
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For Nketiah, it should be an early confidence boost in this new chapter of his career, especially with Gabriel Jesus soon to join from Manchester City and increase the level of competition that had waned following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure and the exit of Alexandre Lacazette.
The 23-year-old Englishman was completely out of favour during the first half of last season, before coming gradually more into the picture from January onwards.
He appeared in all of the final 18 Premier League games of the campaign and started in each of the last eight, also netting crucial braces in wins over Chelsea and Leeds.
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