Recently reports from the Sun had emerged that Bristol City could get a second crack at landing Arsenal youngster Eddie Nketiah on loan. It was said that Arsenal might consider recalling him back given his lack of game time at Elland Road. However, latest reports from the Mirror suggest that Leeds United are ‘cool’ over Nketiah’s situation as they believe that the Gunners won’t cut short his loan spell.
The Yorkshire club’s managing director, Angus Kinnear, had revealed that Arsenal does have an option of recalling him back. However, Leeds United seem confident at the moment that that situation won’t arise in January. We think that Nketiah isn’t too far off from first-team football, so sticking to Leeds United is the right thing for the youngster as well.
Bamford vs Nketiah dilemma
However, it’s tough to assess from outside how Nketiah is feeling at the moment about his lack of game time this season. The 20-year old’s only start has come in the Carabao Cup, and he is still waiting to begin a league match in the Championship.
However, the Englishman has made an impact off the bench as he has two goals and one assist to his name in six appearances in the Championship.
Patrick Bamford, on the other hand, has been the clear first choice striker so far but the patience among some section of the fans is running thin for him. However, for Bielsa, it could be a different matter as he seems to be backing his signing from last summer.
To be fair to Bielsa, Bamford does a lot of things right on the pitch, and he is involved in the build-up play and stretches play with his well-timed runs. His positioning and movement are often excellent, but he has lacked a killer instinct in front of goal. It remains to be seen how long Bielsa will back him with Nketiah waiting in the wings for a start.
Why Nketiah will get his chances soon at Elland Road
Nketiah leaving midway through the season was always going to be an unlikely scenario, and the recent update from the Mirror also confirms the same. United don’t have many options upfront, and as mentioned earlier, Nketiah doesn’t seem far off from first-team football.
With the busy period of the season set to come, the youngster will get his chances to shine and hopefully from Leeds’ point of view; he can grab his opportunities with both hands. Bristol City are likely going to lose out on him again as they did in the summer.
