Why Arsenal must recall Nketiah and loan him to a Premier League club
According to the Metro, Arsenal are considering whether to recall Eddie Nketiah from Leeds United as he is yet to start a game in the Championship.
Nketiah came through Chelsea’s youth rank and joined Arsenal’s U18 side in 2015. He burst onto the scene with his match-winning performance against Norwich City in an EFL Cup encounter in 2017, where he scored both the goals in Arsenal’s 2-1 win.
Since his debut for Arsenal’s first-team, Nketiah has made 19 appearances for the Gunners. He has found it difficult to play regularly due to the presence of other established players at Arsenal. And as a result, he was sent on loan to Leeds United.
In 12 games so far, Nketiah has featured for just a total of 430 minutes for Leeds and is clearly lacking game time despite his potential. But he has already scored 5 times in his short cameos for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
The 20-year-old is yet to start a game in the Championship this season and this would be a big concern for Arsenal, who want him to develop before returning to the Emirates.
At Leeds, Patrick Bramford has been the first choice for Bielsa ahead of Nketiah. But a report from Mirror suggests that Leeds feel that the Arsenal loanee is still a key member of the team and would get his chances once January arrives.
The centre-forward is considered to be great talent among the youngsters in England. He has shown promises of his ability when he played for Arsenal’s senior team previously.
Talents such as Nketiah can only get better if they are played continuously. In this case, Nketiah has become a victim of limited game time under Bielsa. And it would be good if Arsenal recall their young star and see him get enough playing time at a minnow Premier League club.
Playing in the top-flight would help him gain some experience and he would fully understand the requirements of the toughest league. Even if he doesn’t start from the first minute of a game, he can learn a lot from various practice sessions and can emulate that in the less game time he would get.
Lack of game time in the Championship can hamper his confidence when he returns to Premier League action after his loan spell ends. Still a raw talent, Arsenal must make sure that he progresses steadily.
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Verdict
Since the Gunners have the option to cut short his loan spell in the January transfer window, they must exercise this option in building Nketiah’s career. They must also take immediate action to find out a top-flight English team where they believe he can see his chances frequently.