Nwankwo Kanu Says Arsenal 'Made a Mistake' Selling Alex Iwobi to Everton

Nwankwo Kanu is "100 per cent" convinced his old club Arsenal "made a mistake" selling Alex Iwobi to Everton this summer. 

Kanu, who won a Premier League and FA Cup double with the Gunners in 2002 and was also a member of "The Invincibles" who won the title with an unbeaten record in 2004, expressed his disbelief at the decision to let Iwobi go.

Speaking to Goal's Charles Watts, Kanu said:

"I would say they made a mistake, 100 per cent. Why they let him go, I don't know. He's a boy who, in and out, is Arsenal. He always wanted to do his best for the club. He loves the club, but not only that he can play football. What he brings week in, week out, the fans need to appreciate that."

Kanu believes the Nigeria international is the type of player Arsenal should have been keen to keep: 

"I think he is still young and those are the type of people you want in the team, people who grew up here, who knows everything about the club and wants to die for the club. He was one of them, so for us to lose him and to let him go, was a shock. I couldn’t really believe we did it, but that’s football."

While Arsenal fetched a lucrative fee worth £35 million, Kanu said he would have told the attacking midfielder not to leave the north London club had he known about the deal. Kanu believes his countryman would be playing regularly for the Gunners.

Yet it might be a bit of a stretch to assume Iwobi would still be a fixture in Arsenal's starting XI. Head coach Unai Emery handed the 23-year-old 35 appearances in the Premier League last season, along with a further 11 in the UEFA Europa League.

However, the makeup of Emery's squad has changed considerably since last season. Among the many changes, the Gunners boosted their options on the flanks by signing winger Nicolas Pepe in a club-record deal from Ligue 1 side Lille.

Iwobi represented a more homegrown option, having come through the Arsenal academy. He was promoted to the first team by Arsene Wenger in 2016, making his first league start and scoring in a 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.

Selling Iwobi on doesn't mean Wenger's successor has abandoned the idea of developing youth. Instead, Emery has given playing time to Reiss Nelson, another academy product, who is back at the Emirates Stadium following a loan spell with Hoffenheim last season.

There is little room for Iwobi out wide, but the Super Eagles star has previously spoken about his comfort playing in central positions. It's another area where Arsenal are well-stocked, though, with Mesut Ozil and Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos handling the creative load.

While Kanu is right to point out how Arsenal have lost a gifted player, the move already appears to be working for Iwobi. He opened his account during a 4-2 win over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup, before scoring again during a 3-1 league win at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers:

Adding end product to his quick feet and eye for a pass has long been a priority for Iwobi in his development. Changing clubs is helping make a difference.

It's also benefiting Arsenal, with the Gunners able to give Nelson more minutes and quickly fast-track Pepe and Ceballos into the matchday lineups.