Mikel Arteta must solve Eddie Nketiah conundrum ahead of Gabriel Jesus' arrival

Eddie Nketiah began pre-season as he means to go on after scoring a hat-trick in Arsenal's behind-closed-doors 5-1 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.

The forward recently committed his long-term future to the Gunners by signing a new five-year contract, having netted five goals in his final seven outings last season. Nketiah was all but ready to leave Arsenal in search of a new challenge and more game time, but Mikel Arteta has persuaded him to stay at the club.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus is expected to become Arsenal's fourth summer signing in the coming days with a £45m switch from Manchester City imminent. The 25-year-old is Arteta's top priority in the attacking department and the Gunners boss is set to get his target over the line after Alexandre Lacazette joined Lyon last month.

This could, however, give Arteta a major selection headache about who he picks up front ahead of their opening weekend trip to Crystal Palace on Friday, August 5. Nketiah looked sharp in the Gunners' maiden friendly success over League One Ipswich, firing home a treble in 35 minutes.

His first was an instinctive finish after Albert Sambi Lokonga intercepted a loose pass with Nketiah curling the ball low into the far corner with his second touch. After some neat build-up play, Ainsley Maitland-Niles' cross-cum-shot was palmed out straight to Nketiah, who made no mistake from close-range. Then, Sambi Lokonga created another by drilling a cross to the back post for the striker to tap home.

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It was a fine hat-trick from Nketiah, who also grabbed an assist, and will be hoping to retain his place in the starting XI for the upcoming campaign despite the arrival of Jesus. The Brazilian international has clocked up 159 Premier League appearances over the course of his five-year stay at City, scoring 58 times in the process.

Jesus has won four league titles, one Carabao Cup and four FA Cups during his time with Pep Guardiola's side and could bring some much-needed winning pedigree to the squad. However, the 25-year-old will be expected to start every week after he was in and out of the City side last season.

With Nketiah finding some form towards the back end of the campaign after scoring braces against Chelsea and Leeds United, Arteta has a tricky task on his hands to decide between the pair for their trip to Palace. He usually deploys one central striker with two wingers and a No.10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation and the forward was either Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang or Lacazette before Nketiah was handed his chance ahead of the clash with Southampton.

The Gunners have five confirmed friendlies before the big kick-off as they face FC Nurnberg, Everton, Orlando City, Chelsea and Sevilla - with the middle three fixtures to be played in the USA. This is an opportunity for Arteta to try out both players if Jesus is confirmed by then, as it might make his job easier by the Palace fixture.

Nketiah has previously stated his desire to play regular first-team football and Arteta must guarantee him it this season. Fortunately, the Gunners are in the Europa League and will immediately play more matches in that competition, while the Carabao Cup also starts in August which is a chance for the Spaniard to rotate his squad and give the two forwards similar game time.

Having been used to Guardiola's strict, set style, Jesus will have to adapt to Arteta's way of playing, which could hand Nketiah a boost as he knows the Gunners' current system inside out. It might take Jesus time to bed himself in, and with Arsenal needing results from the get-go, Nketiah could be trusted instead for the first couple of Premier League matches against Palace, Leicester City and Bournemouth.

Arteta needs to find a formula to use them both effectively, though, as the duo offer different qualities, with Nketiah more of a poacher inside the six-yard box, while Jesus can drop deep and create for his teammates. There is no doubt the Gunners could benefit from having two top quality finishers at the club, however, and Arteta will be hoping this is the case heading into the new campaign.