It says something for Eddie Nketiah’s composure that in the aftermath of his dream home debut, he was somehow able to contain some of the excitement he was feeling.
After scoring within 15 seconds of coming on against Norwich, the 18-year-old then headed home the winner as the Emirates crowd roared “Eddie, Eddie” at their newest hero.
But afterwards, Nketiah was keeping a cool head about his exploits.
“I’m just thankful for the boss for giving me that opportunity to play and show what I can do - it’s a dream come true for me to get on and score not just one, but two goals to win us the game,” Nketiah told Arsenal Player.
“That’s the most important thing and I’m just thankful for all the fans for the support they gave me, it’s great. I’m a childhood fan of the club, so for the fans to get behind me like that is a dream come true, I’m delighted and grateful.
“It’s overwhelming [to hear the fans singing my name], but you have to remember you’re here for a job and try to stay focused on the game… but it’s a great feeling.
“I’ve always dreamt of this as a kid and hopefully they can continue to support me and I can continue to get chances and impress them really, that’s what it’s about.
“[I grew up watching] Thierry, Dennis Bergkamp, Ian Wright - they were all great strikers and attacking players and I watched them a lot, especially Thierry.
“When he was working with us [at the club] I used to work with him quite a bit on and off the field, so I’m just trying to emulate even a little bit of what they can do, that would a dream come true for me.”
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