Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has revealed his motivation for snubbing Bristol City to sign on loan with Leeds United last summer. 

The race to sign the young forward was a hotly-contested one with multiple Championship clubs and Bundesliga outfit Fortuna Dusseldorf keen.

Late in the window, Leeds eventually secured his signature despite the fact he had been scheduled to have a medical at Ashton Gate, with the South West club having pursued a deal throughout the window.

In an interview with The Athletic, Nketiah revealed his motivation behind snubbing City and joining the Whites.

He said: "It felt like the right place for me.

"The manager was a big plus as well. It was a project, a chance to be part of something special, bringing Leeds back to the Premier League after so long."

Things didn't work out for the 21-year-old at Elland Road. Bielsa's faith in striker Patrick Bamford meant that Nketiah was limited to mostly cup starts and appearances off the bench, which led to his recall in January.

Even so, it appears that the Arsenal marksman, who scored five times in his 19 appearances for Leeds, remains positive about his spell in West Yorkshire.

He explained: “Looking back on it, I have no regrets. I learned a lot and I pushed myself to an extent I probably hadn’t done before. I’m very grateful for my time there.”

20 quiz questions about Bristol City’s current squad that Robins fans should be getting correct

 

 

The Verdict

It's interesting to get some insight from Nketiah into the motivation behind his decision to snub the Robins and join Leeds late in the 2019 summer transfer window.

Having now begun to establish himself in the Arsenal first team, it's no surprise that he feels it was the right move to make even though things didn't work out at Elland Road.

It was a frustrating blow for City to take at the time and one that certainly fanned the flames of the sour relationship between former manager Lee Johnson and the Leeds support.