‘Superstar’ must now wish he’d joined Arsenal in January, they bid £26.5m – Our View

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Weston McKennie’s decision to join Leeds United instead of Arsenal may now be one he regrets.

McKennie was reportedly the subject of a £26.5m bid from Arsenal towards the end of the window, and it came as a bit of a surprise when he joined Leeds instead on a loan deal.

At the time, it was thought that McKennie was influenced by the American cohort at Leeds and the prospect of being part of an American revolution at Elland Road.

However, that revolution has now been disrupted following the sacking of Jesse Marsch, and McKennie now has one fewer American compatriot at the club – while the likes of Brendan Aaronson will now also be sweating over their futures.

More pertinently, Leeds are now facing relegation, which means they may not end up triggering McKennie’s buy-option, leaving his long-term future up in the air as he may be back to square one come the summer.

This is a far cry from the stability and security he would have enjoyed at Arsenal, who are currently top of the Premier League and would have given him a longer-term deal.

At Arsenal, McKennie would have been the first backup midfielder, and with Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka previously struggling with injuries and suspensions, there likely would have been a chance for him to get regular minutes.

Now, at Leeds, McKennie has no idea whether or not the new manager will fancy him or not, and while he’s a talented player, his spot is at risk.

The decision to join Leeds may prove to be a mistake for McKennie. While it’s true that he’s still young and has plenty of time to make a name for himself in the game, the opportunity he had to join a top Premier League club, like Arsenal, doesn’t come around very often.

The so-called ‘superstar’ is now at a struggling club with a questionable future, which is not the ideal situation for a player who’s looking to build himself back up after a disappointing period with Juventus.

Of course, it’s always easy to speculate about what could have been after the fact, but it is fair to say that McKennie may now wish he’d joined Arsenal instead of Leeds United in January.