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Arsenal: Despite goals, Eddie Nketiah loan all wrong
Eddie Nketiah might still be scoring goals, but his loan spell at Leeds United has gone all wrong. It might be time for Arsenal to reconsider.
In any aspect of life, it makes sense to only focus on the things that you can control. In a footballing context, you cannot impact the actions of the opposition, at least not to a major extent, but you can change your own actions, behaviour, decisions and tactics. If you master everything that you can control and lose, there is nothing that can be done.
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When Arsenal decided to loan out Eddie Nketiah in the summer, what they could control is the club they sent him to. They could not impact how that club would manage Nketiah, how he would perform at that club, and the development how would enjoy there.
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It seemed as though the Gunners did their due diligence to ensure that they sent Nketiah to the most productive landing spot. Various teams were interested in Nketiah, including two leading candidates from the Championship and German tier one side as well. Arsenal had options.
And so, as any smart club would, they asked the suitors to present the plans for Nketiah and his development over the loan season. This would include Nketiah’s usage, which is obviously critical, but also covers topics such as the coaching he would receive, the areas of his game which require improvement, and how the style of the team enhances Nketiah’s long-term future.
In the end, Arsenal determined that Leeds United and Marco Bielsa would be the best option for Nketiah. The Championship contenders promised to use Nketiah frequently after the departure of Kemar Roofe in the summer and sold the coaching expertise of Bielsa well.
However, so far, Nketiah has struggled to force his way into the Leeds line-up. He is still yet to make a Championship start, Patrick Bamford preferred in his stead. All in all, he has played only 134 minutes of league action. And that comes across six appearances, all of them from off the bench.
Despite his limited usage, Nketiah is still proving his quality. He has two goals and an assist in those 134 minutes, good for a goal every 67 minutes, which is an excellent strike-rate. He has also made two starts in the Carabao Cup, scoring a goal in both in matches, coming against Salford City and Stoke City.
Nketiah then played for England under-21s on Saturday, winning and converting a penalty in the 39th minute. He now has three goals in three games for England under-21s this year, yet more proof of his sensational goalscoring knack.
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Arsenal cannot control how Leeds United use Nketiah. They also cannot control the performance of Nketiah. But they can make a change if it comes to it, and given how he has been used so far this season, recalling him from the loan and re-loaning him out in January might not be the worst decision in the world.