Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has expressed his fears over the possible recall chances of Eddie Nketiah according to an interview with Football Insider.
During his pre-match press conference, Marco Bielsa confirmed that he will once again name an unchanged starting XI for tonight’s game at Deepdale against Preston North End meaning Nketiah will once again be on the bench.
Whelan believes that if Bielsa continues to persist with starting Bamford despite a lack of goals considering their position in the league then Arsenal may well recall the striker.
There is a mid-season recall clause in the England Under-21 international’s season-long loan although it can only be triggered by Arsenal if he has not been selected for a pre-agreed amount of match action.
“There is the possibility he will be recalled in January,” Whelan said. “Arsenal have loaned him out expecting him to get more game time than he has.”
“The longer Bielsa stays faithful to Patrick Bamford, the bigger the risk of losing Eddie Nketiah. Personally, I think he should stay at Leeds. But there’s no doubt he would be starting regularly at other teams, including Bristol City.”
“But he is getting a better standard of team at Leeds and a better standard of coaching, which is more like the Arsenal way.”
“I know what players are like these days, patience isn’t one of their strong suits. We have a player hungry to play who thinks he should be in the team. How long will he be willing to bide his time on the bench?”
Nketiah is yet to start for Leeds in the league this season but has still been influential in scoring four goals, two in the cup and two in the Championship.
There is a realistic possibility that Nketiah could return to the Gunners should he continue to get a lack of playing time especially if you consider Arsenal’s struggles in the Premier League.
