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…
Leeds United seemingly aren’t planning on being busy in the upcoming January transfer window, but one thing that could force them into action is if Eddie Nketiah is recalled by Arsenal.
Rumours of the 20-year-old being recalled have been doing the rounds for months at this point, but it’s not all doom and gloom as Phil Hay has stated that Leeds may be interested in a very exciting replacement for the youngster.
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What’s been said then?
As the January transfer window edges closer and closer there have been plenty of questions about Leeds’ planned activity in the upcoming window, and there’s no better time to ask than during Hay’s weekly Q&A sessions on The Athletic.
One supporter asked if United have a contingency plan in place if United lose Nketiah, to which the journalist replied:
“They have a list of potential strikers in place for if Nketiah goes back. Brewster at Liverpool would be one of those. I had mention of Tosun at Everton too but he’s involved there at the moment and wouldn’t be cheap in terms of wages.
“The club are hopeful that Nketiah stays and they won’t have to act but if they do, they’ll be looking at someone in the same mould – like Brewster. A young Premier League talent. The issue, however, would be game time. Nketiah has had very little and PL clubs want their loanees to play.”
Exciting prospect
It seems as though United are going to look towards Merseyside if they lose Nketiah this winter, but the thought of signing £13.5m-rated Cenk Tosun should excite every Leeds supporter in the country.
Ok, it’s not quite happened for the Turkish striker in the Premier League, scoring just ten Everton goals, but his record against lower-level opposition is fantastic as he netted 20 strikes during his last full season in his home country.
He was signed for £27m by Everton for a reason, and if Bielsa can help him rediscover the form that saw him move for such a massive fee then it could prove to be an inspirational piece of business.
Meanwhile, there’s a case to be made that Leeds should sign one of their loanees permanently despite a slow start.