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MOT View: Arteta claim on Nketiah spell at Leeds could prove recall is big mistake
Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah came on against Sheffield United on Saturday, meaning that he cannot move elsewhere after his spell at Leeds United.
A player can only play for two teams in England within one season, and many Whites fans would have been shaking their heads as he came on at the Emirates Stadium.
Nketiah may have only started two league games, but there would have been many more opportunities for him to star at Elland Road, especially with Patrick Bamford’s recent struggles.
Mikel Arteta recently commented on the loan spell at Leeds, claiming that the environment he was in was working and helping him become a better player.
“I was very impressed with him. Everything I’ve seen in training I really liked and I think he’s grown a lot in terms of his loan and the environment he was working in,” he told Football London.
“That’s what the plan was. He was ready to make an impact we needed that energy.”
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So, if the loan was working, and Nketiah was improving – why recall him back to North London?
Everyone understood at the time why it happened, but now questions could now start to arise. Nketiah was given an opportunity on Saturday, but when Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang returns from suspension, he’ll fall further down the pecking order.
With Gabriel Martinelli also impressing behind Alexandre Lacazette, Nketiah could be back with the under-23s rather than the first-team at Arsenal.
Bamford is slipping back into his old ways of missing simple chances, and Arteta could have made a big mistake recalling the forward, who could surely have had a massive chance of starting against the likes of Millwall and Wigan for the Whites.
In other Leeds United news, Journalist shares why Leeds could be ‘holding fire’ in January transfer window