Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear has revealed that Arsenal have told Leeds United that on-loan striker Eddie Nketiah is a player they see as a future first-team star.

The 20-year-old striker has been in fine form since arriving at Elland Road on loan on transfer deadline day.

Leeds were amongst a number of teams reportedly pursuing Nketiah and his early season form has shown exactly why.

The Englishman has scored four times in six appearances for the club, despite not starting once in the Championship.

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He looks like a player with a bright future and it appears that his parent club see him as someone who could be a star at the Emirates.

Speaking on the Talking Shutt podcast, Kinnear indicated that the Premier League club had explained just that to Leeds when they took the 20-year-old on loan in the summer.

He said: “Eddie scores goals for fun. It’s a very, very competitive process to get that type of player, he’s very expensive for a loan. He’s held in huge regard by Arsenal.

“When we spoke to Arsenal about him, we asked them, ‘is this a player you want us to develop so you can sell him?’ And they said, ‘no, this is a player we want you to develop so he can come back and play first-team football for Arsenal’.

“And that’s where Marcelo and his coaching staff give us a competitive advantage, because, versus some of the other clubs he could have joined, I don’t think there’s a safer pair of hands to entrust him to then Marcelo.”

The Verdict

These comments will likely put an end to the hope of the few Leeds fans that thought it might be possible to sign Nketiah permanently at the end of the season.

Even at this early stage, it is clear to see why the Gunners have this stance on Nketiah.

Everything he has touched this season has turned to gold and, if you include his goals for the under-23s and England under-21s, he has found the net nine times already.

You would imagine it will not be long before he is given a chance to start regularly in the Championship, which should see his goal tally grow even further.