Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah's £30m summer transfer decision is obvious amid Wolves and Fulham interest

The only shocking thing is that it has taken this long to happen. After an uninterrupted decade or so at Arsenal (with the exception of a brief loan stint at Leeds United), Eddie Nketiah finally looks as if he will depart north London this summer. You would have to say that it feels like the right time.

Now 25, Nketiah has struggled to stake his claim as a genuine first team proposition at the Emirates. There have been goal-laden stints, of course, but for the most part he has flitted in and out of form, back and forth in Mikel Arteta’s affections. Last season yielded just six strikes in 37 outings across all competitions, although that latter tally is something of a misnomer; out of a possible 3,330 minutes, the striker played just 1,393.

Still, he has not done enough to be considered genuinely indispensable, and it is in this context that he is being touted for an exit this summer. According to The Sun, Fulham are reportedly ready to offer the Gunners around £30 million for the forward, while the likes of Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Everton are all hovering with intent too.

As per this latest update, Arsenal are quite reluctant to let Nketiah leave over the coming weeks, with Arteta supposedly rating the player very highly. Not highly enough to give him more than 1,393 minutes last season, mind you, but highly nonetheless. For his part, the one-cap England international is said to be desperate for greater first team opportunities, and is willing to seek them elsewhere if needs be. Matters in that regard are worsened by the expectation that Arsenal will almost certainly be in the market for a new centre forward this summer.

All of which raises the question as to where Nketiah would be best advised to set his coordinates for next. Of the chasing quartet, three are offering permanent options for the Hale End graduate, with Everton said to prefer a loan agreement. In fairness, that might suit Arsenal, given their apparent hesitance to sell, but for Nketiah, in desperate need of a proper, clean break, it could be enough to rule them out of the running.

Indeed, of Palace, Wolves, and Fulham, it is the latter who are said to be in pole position for his signature, and while you suspect Nketiah could make a go of things at any one of those three clubs, the Cottagers may prove to be the best pick of the bunch. Marco Silva’s men drifted a little towards the end of last season, but at this stage are a firmly established Premier League side, and one who, with the addition of a couple of players of Nketiah’s ilk, have the potential to kick on again next term.

What they do lack, however, is strength in depth at the point of attack. Rodrigo Muniz looks to be improving at a near-exponential rate, but beyond the Brazilian, options are few. Raul Jimenez looks a shadow of his former self these days, while Armando Broja will presumably return to parent club Chelsea in the imminent future with his tail between his legs. And that’s about it.

Fulham, then, would present Nketiah with a real opportunity to sign and instantly stake his claim as the main man up front - something he is evidently desperate to do wherever he ends up. A move to Craven Cottage does, therefore, make an awful lot of sense, and provided Arsenal don’t undergo some sudden and unforeseen change of heart, it could be an ideal transfer for Nketiah this summer.