Eddie Nketiah: South London and Proud

This interview originally appeared in the Crystal Palace v Manchester United matchday programme. You can shop for programmes by clicking HERE.

At the elite level, the margins between the good, the great, and the exceptional are seemingly growing ever smaller. There is no debating that ‘making it’ as a bona fide Premier League player has never been more challenging – just ask the 99 percent-plus of young players in England who do not.

In other words, as a BBC report framed it not too long ago, “there is slightly more chance of [a young player] making it into the top-flight than being struck by lightning – but not by much.”

While Eddie Nketiah might have made his breakthrough north of the River Thames, his is a story deeply rooted in a South London community which celebrates, every time he plays at the top level, his achievement in doing so. We saw it for ourselves when, to celebrate his transfer, he took the Palace TV cameras back to what he calls “the Ends.”

“I think it just brings back good memories: fun, enjoyment, that family feeling,” the beaming 25-year-old said in the car, Deptford-bound.

“Some of my family members are still around the area and my friends still live up close.” He points out the window. “That’s even my cousin right there, you know! That’s crazy!

“It’s where I grew up, bro. It doesn’t get any more real. You see how many people you bump into naturally. The Ends is always going to be the Ends. Every time I come back, it always puts a smile on my face. It’s good to be home, essentially.”

Along the tour, Nketiah took us to Dolphin Tower, the 17-story tower block in Deptford where he grew up.

His nursery is but a short walk away, his primary school just around the corner. The ‘Blue Cage’ – “a concrete football cage with a goal, no nets, where we used to just play for hours on end” – is another location we visit.

For any readers yet to view the full feature on Palace TV (above), it makes for compelling viewing.

“I look at it like enjoyment,” Nketiah explains. “I miss it. I miss the days when we used to just go and play, carefree, for hours until my Dad would come and tell me to come back to the house and it’d been enough.

“There were some days in the cage it’d just be: whoever comes, there’s two captains, and they’d pick their starting XI. I needed to be [picked] first if you wanted to win!

“It’s fun, man. It’s where you learn most of your trade. That enjoyment, that creativity, that freedom on the pitch, that winning mentality… because at the end of the day, it’s prideful there. Everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to come out on top.”

Nketiah explains how he began playing Sunday League football at the age of eight for local club Hillyfielders FC, in nearby Brockley.

“I used to play on the street all the time – kicking anything around the house, kicking balls in the garden, so I think my parents just said: ‘Let’s just find him somewhere close where he can play.’”

Being from a religious family, his other commitments would sometimes draw the ire of his coach – but Nketiah would usually have the last word.

“Church used to clash with the timing for Sunday League, so I used to either show up just before kick-off, or even when the game had already started.

“The coach would be fuming, so he would always tell me I had to start on the bench! But if we were losing, he would bring me on as early as he could, and I’d just come on and try and score some goals!”

He did so – plentifully – and after one particularly prolific tournament for Hillyfielders, Nketiah attracted the attentions of Chelsea, signing for the Blues as a nine-year-old.

There, he met his now-teammate and captain. “I’ve known Marc [Guéhi] for ages, man,” he smiles. “I joined Chelsea at nine and he was there as well. I was probably one age group above him, but he used to play up quite a lot with us. Any tournaments and stuff, we used to travel together, play together.

“Our families obviously know each other. I played with him from my time at Chelsea from nine to 14, and then through the England age groups – Under-17s, 18s, through to 21s. And when I made my senior debut [last year against Australia] he was there as well – so we’ve always had that relationship from there.”

And another? “Ebs [Eze] is my guy, man – Ebs is my boy! We grew up not too far away. I grew up in Deptford, he grew up in Greenwich – that’s maybe like 10, 15 minutes away.

“We always just knew each other from the area. We’ve got quite a few mutual friends. And then, yeah, through the age groups, we played against each other, and at England, we formed a really good bond.

“We played together in the U19s, U20s, and U21s. And, obviously, he was there as well when I made my senior debut. We always kept in touch, so it’s nice to be reunited and link up.

"We look back on it all with fond memories. It’s just amazing to see how far we’ve come. When you are in those age groups, they always tell you how few make it to the top. So to see us playing at a really high level in the Premier League, it’s amazing.

“My Dad takes good pride in what I’ve done, but he’s also always proud of the boys that he’s met, and has seen their journeys. It’s nice to watch how they’ve grown, and how Marc and Ebs have come on as players – so my Dad’s proud for him and his family, but also to witness those journeys as well.”

Nketiah speaks with infectious enthusiasm – but it is a quality also apparent out on the pitch. As manager Oliver Glasner said ahead of Nketiah’s recent debut against Leicester: “Eddie is a very smart player, and very good technically. But I’m really surprised, in a positive way, how hard he’s working in training – he’s always one of the guys who is running the most, having the highest intensity.”

Much has been written of South London’s hotbed of rising footballing talent – but Nketiah has lived it. “There must be something in the ground!” he laughs.

“To be honest, you know what it is? I think South London has just got a lot of talented people in general.

“Maybe people don’t have the opportunity all the time to showcase some of the talents they have. But I think football has definitely become a way out for people to obviously not get distracted.

"I think football is always a way out, a way to express yourself, your talents. That mentality, I would say, is the main important thing.

“When you play in a cage, that pride, that ability to be able to showcase yourself and just show the other person that ‘you’re better than them’ kind of thing… that’s the real grit, and winning mentality, that you instil from a young age.

“There’s a lot of egos in there. Everyone wants to have the last laugh. Everyone wants to have that upper hand on someone. I would say that is what really gives people the edge, when you come into adversity or come into situations, to have the confidence to show what you’re about. Players from the South showcase themselves on the pitch, because they have that personality out there.”

Nketiah’s personality was tested along his own journey, as he was released by Chelsea aged 14. But it was with Arsenal his talents truly came to the fore, netting a remarkable 39 goals in 39 appearances for the youth team, as well as 28 in 40 for the Under-23s.

His senior debut in English football in October 2017 was the stuff of dreams – coming on to the pitch after 85 minutes of a Cup tie against Norwich, and scoring an equaliser 15 seconds later, before netting the winner in extra-time – and his returns with England Under-21s were emphatic, captaining the Young Lions and becoming their record goalscorer with 16 strikes to his name, surpassing Alan Shearer.

At senior level, Nketiah continued to round out his game, averaging a goal every 184 minutes played for the Gunners, and netting a number of important strikes. Among them, as recently as January last year, was a brace – and a 90th-minute winner – against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.

His rich vein of form coincided with his first call-up to the senior England squad in August 2023 and, two months later, Nketiah’s debut arrived as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 win over Australia at Wembley. England internationals and Selhurst Park go together, it would seem.

“Obviously, I’ve been at Arsenal for 11 years, so it was like a home for me,” Nketiah reflects. “But leaving, you just want to take that next step in your career.

“I think Crystal Palace is a wonderful place. I’ve seen a lot of players develop and take the next step in their career here – so that’s what I want to do. I want to improve. I want to play more minutes, and hopefully help the team as much as I can.

“I’m just going to build on it – and the more I play, the better I’m going to get.”

Nketiah will be hoping to make more memories in the famous Red and Blue as the season goes on.

“I was looking at the club as a whole – its values, what they’re trying to do here, what they do with players, how they develop them and give them a platform to showcase their abilities…

“I think that was a really important thing, seeing what the gaffer did at the back end of last season. The club really wanted me – that was really nice of them, their commitment – and it’s a really great place to be.

“I’m going to give my all. I know what it means to be a South Londoner, so I’m going to show that pride on the pitch, every time I step up.”