It looked like Mikel Arteta may have had plans to utilise Eddie Nketiah in the first team when he returned from his loan spell at Leeds this month, but it actually seems like Arsenal want to loan him out again.
It makes sense that they didn’t want him to stay at Leeds for the whole season. He was playing regularly but it was usually from the bench, so playing a key role for a different team could help to further his development.
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You would think that where he ends up will depend on how much playing time his new club will give him, but it sounds like it won’t just be Championship clubs that he has the option of this month.
The Mirror reported that Bristol City, Nottingham Forrest and Sheffield Wednesday were all in the hunt to sign him, but they’ve now been joined by Norwich City and Aston Villa.
It would make sense from Arsenal’s point of view if he could get some regular Premier League football under his belt, but it would be a huge call for both of those sides.
If Arsenal did insist that he played regularly, then they would essentially be putting a lot of trust in an unproven youngster to be a key part of their attempts to avoid relegation. We always hear about the money involved in maintaining a place in the league, so it could be a lot of pressure on the young man.
There’s still no indication that he’s about to agree a deal with one club for now, but he might have the choice of five if reports are to be believed.