da dobrowin： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da dobrowin： Things just took a turn for the worst.
It looks as if Leeds United are going to be facing a whole lot of competition to keep hold of Eddie Nketiah, according to Darren Bent.
What’s he said?
Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League man Bent suggests that it’s not just Championship clubs like Bristol City that will be taking an interest in the young man’s form, but also clubs in the top division as well:
“Leeds need to be careful, I’m telling you now, because a lot of other Championship teams, if not lower-end Premier League teams, are going to be looking at him and going: ‘You know what? We’ll take him.
“He’s scoring goals at international level, he’s scoring goals for his club side when he gets the minutes so people will be going we’ll take him. Leeds might go: ‘We want to keep him,’ but I can see Arsenal going: ‘No, because he’s not getting enough game time.’
Will Bielsa heed Bent’s warning?
The former top-flight striker is right on the money here.
There are no concrete links yet to suggest a club in the Premier League are going to make an offer, if Nketiah keeps performing the way he does, it’s only going to be a matter of time before heads start to turn.
He’s scored five goals for the Whites this term and sits as their top scorer despite only starting twice. It’s quite remarkable, especially considering he’s netted nine times for club and country since Patrick Bamford last found the back of the net.
Whilst clubs in the Premier League may be awash with money, they will always be on the lookout for a couple of bargains, and bringing in someone like Nketiah on loan would be an easy way to go about it.
Unai Emery has admitted his parent club Arsenal aren’t concerned about a lack of minutes just yet, you’d like to think that a move to a Premier League club might be better for his development than playing at a lower level.
This puts the ball squarely in Marcelo Bielsa’s court, because the more Nketiah impresses in his brief appearances, the less likely they’re going to be able to keep hold of him – that’s unless they begin to start him from the off.