Arsenal and Eddie Nketiah: Landing spot is everything

Arsenal have given the green light on an Eddie Nketiah loan departure. Now, it is critical the club secures the right landing spot for the 20-year-old.

This summer was always going to be a critical one for a slew of young players at Arsenal. With Unai Emery looking to rebuild his squad and several excellent academy graduates pressuring the established starters in the first team, how their development was handled during what is a vital period of their careers appeared to be fascinating.

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One player at the heart of this decision has been Eddie Nketiah. The centre-forward was nearly sent on loan in January but a deal could not quite be completed in time. Fast forward six months, and after a sensational pre-season in which he joint top-scored for the Gunners and looked ready for a greater role in the squad, it now seems as though a loan deal is set to unfold.

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According to a wide range of reports in the British media on Tuesday morning, Arsenal have given the green light on a loan departure, the club previously umming and ahhing over whether to keep Nketiah in north London as the third-choice striker or let him leave in search of weekly first-team football. They have ostensibly settled on the latter.

It makes sense. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are two established centre-forwards. If Emery shifts to a lone-striker system, which is quite likely given the way he has set up his team in pre-season, how much opportunity would there realistically be for the third-choice option? At 20 years of age, Nketiah needs to play. If that will not happen at the Emirates, it is sensible to find somewhere else.

But deciding to loan Nketiah out is only half the problem. Now Emery and the club must decide where to loan Nketiah to, and there are a lot of reported options. Bristol City have chased the youth starlet all summer long and remain confident of a deal, per James Benge of Football.London, while Swansea City, Leeds United, and even options from abroad have all emerged as potential landing spots.

It is extremely difficult to say which would be the best place for Nketiah to take the next step in his career, but factors such as playing time, quality of the team, style of play, the coaching ability of the manager, the level of competition, should all come into play when Arsenal make their final decision. Sending Nketiah to sit on the bench of another team under a manager who does not know how to develop players is utterly foolish.

With all this being said, Leeds may present the best opportunity. Kemar Roofe departed this summer, Marco Bielsa is a renowned coach and tactician, and playing in front of the one of the best midfields in the Championship, especially with Pablo Hernandez just in behind, could present Nketiah with the chance to score a bucket load.

Whichever team Arsenal choose to send Nketiah to in the coming days, it is imperative that they select the right one. The next two or three years are vital. They will alter Nketiah’s career, for better or worse, so making the right decision now is essential.