Last week we heard reports that Eddie Nketiah would be staying at Arsenal for the remainder of this season, and on Saturday that was confirmed as the 20-year-old came off the bench to make his first Arsenal appearance of the season.
FIFA rules state that any player can only play for a maximum of two clubs in a single season, and with Nketiah now appearing in an official game for the Gunners this term the possibility of him going out on loan has gone. This development has both positives and negatives for Leeds.
One positive is that it means that he won’t be joining one of their Championship rivals, and with the youngster being linked to Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City a move to any of those clubs could have negatively affected United’s promotion credentials.
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As much as Nketiah didn’t fit Leeds’ system he showed glimpses of being an effective goalscorer at this level. He averaged a goal every 166.66 minutes for the Yorkshire club, and he would instantly boost the frontline of Leeds’ promotion rivals, but now he won’t be going anywhere.
Unfortunately, the negatives are also abundantly obvious.
Arsenal recalling him has left Leeds incredibly short up top, and keeping him at the Emirates has to leave you questioning the London club’s decision to do so anyway.
He didn’t get the game time he wanted, but he was developing under Marcelo Bielsa, and Mikel Arteta has publicly stated that he’s pleased with how much he’s improved under the Argentine.
“I was very impressed with him. Everything I’ve seen in training I really liked and I think he’s grown a lot in terms of his loan and the environment he was working in,” the Arsenal manager said.
“That’s what the plan was. He was ready to make an impact and we needed that energy.”
Nketiah being recalled has left Leeds scrambling for a striker, and if they don’t get one through the door it’ll be seen as a season-defining moment, such is the form of Patrick Bamford who missed a penalty last weekend.
Arteta stating that he’s pleased with his development leaves you wondering why they even bothered to recall him.
He’s more than likely going to sit on the bench at Arsenal behind £52.7m man Alexandre Lacazette and Premier League Golden Boot winner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, so it makes the Gunners’ choice to recall him even more frustrating for Leeds.
In other news, Leeds could kill two birds with one stone with this loan signing.