Leeds United striker Eddie Nketiah’s parent club Arsenal have outlined how they expect him to be at a club where he will get regular playing time in the second half of the season, Football Insider have revealed. 

The Arsenal striker has struggled to make a consistent impact at Elland Road this season, as the Whites fought off a lot of competition to complete the signing of Nketiah in the summer on a season-long loan.

The problem he has faced is that Marcelo Bielsa appears to favour Patrick Bamford as the first-choice striker, with the number nine being an ever-present for his side this season, which has limited Nketiah’s opportunities to substitute appearances in the league.

Despite being yet to start a league game, Nketiah has still scored three goals and registered an assist in the Championship, gaining Leeds five points in the process. Without his contributions, the Whites would be fourth instead of top.

His chance was close to coming when it was revealed that Bamford was carrying a slight injury in the buildup to the QPR fixture at the start of the month but Nketiah, unfortunately, picked up an injury of his own. He has only just returned to training this week for Leeds after this injury.

Football Insider have now revealed that Arsenal are seriously considering whether they should recall the youngster as he has played far less than expected and they believe his development is suffering as a result. He would certainly be best suited to playing regular first-team football rather than coming on as a late sub, it is yet to be seen whether Leeds can prove he will get that chance under Bielsa.

The Verdict

The signs are looking ominous for Leeds with this situation. All indications are that Arsenal would rather send Nketiah on-loan to a club where they know he will play regularly from the start of games.

It seems increasingly unlikely that Nketiah will dislodge Bamford form the starting 11 in the coming weeks, with the latter showing in recent outings that he finally has his confidence back after ending his torrid goal drought.