Ian Wright has told the Wrighty’s House podcast that he was very strict with Eddie Nketiah after he signed for Leeds United.
Nketiah joined Leeds last season on loan from Arsenal, and he endeared himself to the Elland Road crowd, despite never quite dislodging Patrick Bamford in Marcelo Bielsa’s starting line-up.
The Gunners youngster was ultimately recalled in January by Mikel Arteta, and he has been involved in the first-team set up at the Emirates Stadium ever since.
But Wright remembers advising Nketiah to take his move to Leeds very seriously, as it could set up his career.
“A loan deal can be beneficial to everybody, but it should be beneficial to you. You have to go there like a robot, man. This is work,” he said.
“I remember saying it to Eddie Nketiah at Leeds. ‘Eddie, this is not a joke. The moment you’re in now with respect to your career, people are watching you. Everything has got to be right, you’re coming from Arsenal, if you get a chance you’ve got to take it. You’ve got to play well and people look at you as purely professional and speak about you in that way’.”
Nketiah’s attitude certainly couldn’t be questioned at Leeds, as he was always very professional during his time with the Yorkshire side.
Nketiah repeatedly made a good impact off the bench and sent a fond farewell message to supporters after he did depart.
At the time Bielsa’s decision not to play Nketiah more often was actually a controversial one with Leeds fans.
However, Bielsa’s judgement has been vindicated this season, as while Nketiah has struggled to break into Arsenal’s team, Bamford now sits among the Premier League’s top scorers.
Wrighty’s House is the latest podcast from The Ringer with host Ian Wright with new episodes every Wednesday. The podcast will be available exclusively on Spotify. You can listen here.
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