Laura Woods shrugs off Jamie O’Hara’s comments directed at Arsenal star

British television presenter Laura Woods has disagreed with Jamie O'Hara over his comments regarding Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah. She backed the Gunners' decision to hand the striker the famed number 14 shirt after signing a new contract.

The 23-year-old forward, who has been at Arsenal since 2015, is set to change his original squad number from 35 to 14. Earlier, the number was worn by the club's record goal-scorer Thierry Henry and ace striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

After impressing in the second half of the 2021-22 campaign, the striker was rewarded with a new long-term deal at the Emirates Stadium last week.

Speaking on talkSPORT [via The Mirror], Woods said that the striker should be given time to live up to the expectations of the squad number. She said:

"I do think in the wider context of this whole argument about Eddie taking the number 14 shirt, people are just forgetting it’s not like when Henry left Arsenal, it’s not like we retired the shirt. That didn’t happen."

She continued:

"Other players took the shirt. I know what a lot of the fans are saying, I understand that. Let’s be honest, no one can fill Thierry Henry’s boots and if they can: incredible, wow, amazing. But it’s probably not going to happen, it’s Thierry Henry, it’s a once in a lifetime footballer."

Woods further gave Theo Walcott's reference, who also wore the number 14 shirt and had a decent career at the Emirates. She said:

"My opinion of it really is Theo [Walcott] took the shirt and had it for ten years or something like that and I don’t know that there was this much uproar about that at the time. I think people got behind him. Theo was a brilliant player but at the time, we didn’t know what kind of player he’d go on to become."

She added:

"That’s the same with Eddie. There’s a lot of uproar before we’ve even seen what kind of a player he’s going to develop into. They obviously wanted to keep him at the club. I’m glad he’s staying. I’m an Arsenal fan through and through and I always will be. I just don’t have an issue with it and I respect people’s opinions if they do have an issue with it. For me, it’s not that big of an issue."

Earlier, O'Hara mocked the Gunners for giving Nketiah the number 14 shirt. The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder said:

"I can't believe he's getting number 14. I mean it just sums up really where Arsenal are right now. Spurs are buying all these great players, we're flying high, we've got Champions League football."

He added:

"And they're giving a player who didn't even want to be at the football club, all the fans said he wasn't good enough, he had decent end to the season, and they're giving him Thierry Henry's shirt. It's unbelievable."

Nketiah ended last season with 10 goals in 27 matches across all competitions, scoring five goals in his last seven Premier League appearances.

Arsenal in hunt for prolific attackers

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta is looking to bolster his squad this summer, with the Gunners set to compete in four competitions.

Since the departure of strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, the Premier League club have been linked with a host of forwards.

According to Express, Arsenal are looking to bolster their attack by signing Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus and Leeds United forward Raphinha. According to The Daily Mail, the north London club are also among the clubs interested in Everton forward Richarlison.