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…
This one won’t go down well.
Not only have Leeds lost captain Liam Cooper to injury for the foreseeable future, but one former Leeds United player thinks there could be a permanent departure from the club soon if things don’t change.
What’s been said?
Noel Whelan spoke to Football Insider about young striker Eddie Nketiah, and he thinks that time could well be running out for Bielsa to show faith in the Arsenal loanee before the London club either decide to recall him, or he starts considering asking to be sent back:
Nketiah has scored four times since arriving in west Yorkshire but it’s now October and he’s still yet to start in the league.
Given Patrick Bamford hasn’t netted in six games, it would be understandable if he’s starting to grow frustrated. That’s certainly how Whelan thinks he could feel before too long. He said:
“There is the possibility he will be recalled in January. It all depends on how much game time he is getting, and at the moment he is only playing as a sub. He has showed a lot of talent and potential, and is a really exciting young striker. He’s loved by the fans.
“A lot of other clubs wanted him in the summer and you can see why. Much depends on the player’s character. It may only be a short time before he starts getting frustrated. How much is he willing to stay patient?”
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What should they do about it?
Leeds United are facing a bit of a problem when it comes to converting their chances so far this season and sit in tenth place for goals scored despite averaging the highest number of shots per game in the Championship.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that there’s a simple solution to the problem – that’s playing the Arsenal man on a regular basis.
Nketiah, despite a lack of minutes, has shown an incredible knack of finding the back of the net when presented with the opportunity and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if he did eventually replace Bamford.
It’s now just a matter of who blinks first. Will Nketiah force his way out of Elland Road? Or will Bielsa bow to the pressure and give him more game time? It’ll be a tricky decision once the international break is done.
As Whelan says, Nketiah is loved by the crowd at Elland Road, would it really be in Bielsa’s best interests to let someone so adored just walk out because of a lack of minutes?
Imagine the backlash he’d get if he did.