Bielsa wants Nketiah to Stay
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has talked up the possibility of keeping Eddie Nketiah at the club beyond the current campaign. The England youth international made the season-long loan move from Arsenal during the summer transfer window and he has since made an impact with five goals in all competitions.
In the Championship, he has largely played second fiddle to Patrick Bamford for the centre-forward role but he was handed with a maiden league start earlier in the month before he picked up a stomach bug. Nketiah is due to make his comeback this weekend and Bielsa believes the striker could be better served staying with the club on loan next term.
“If he stays, to me, his integration into Leeds is going to be good, that he stays with us after January and one more year [after that]. That would be ideal, to me, to have success with one club like Leeds. It’s clear Leeds consider Nketiah at a good level. I feel Leeds is the proper place too for him to develop. Obviously, we cannot compete with top teams in the Premier League. What I am sure about is that Nketiah is a success here at Leeds, the next step is going to be the top clubs in the Premier League,” he told.
Nketiah has come up with a couple of winning strikes for the Peacocks in the Championship and this has clearly made him a favourite among the fans. However, there has been the criticism over Bielsa’s preference for Bamford upfront and reports have emerged that the Gunners may recall Nketiah at the turn of the year to loan him out to another Championship side.
Despite this, Bielsa remains optimistic that won’t be the case and he will be hoping that the marksman can show improvement through the season and end the club’s long-wait for a Premier League comeback.
