Eddie Nketiah Wants to Fight for Arsenal Place Next Season After Strong Start With Leeds

Leeds United's on-loan Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah has revealed that Unai Emery's desire to keep him with the north London side acted as a confidence-booster, and he hopes he can fight for a place in the first-team next season at the Emirates.

The forward moved to Elland Road on a season-long loan in August and has made a blistering start to life in the Championship. He's bagged three goals so far, despite not yet starting a game for Marcelo Bielsa's men in the league.

It had previously ​been reported that Arsenal manager Unai Emery was keen to keep hold of the 20-year-old, but accepted that he would benefit from a loan move. Nketiah has now revealed that he has been aided by ​the Gunners boss' vote of confidence. 

He said, as quoted by ​the Daily Mail: "The manager wanted me to stay so it's really confidence-boosting for me that he had me in his plans.

"But I felt like it was a good step for me to come to ​Leeds. I hope it's a good year that can leave me in good stead going back to Arsenal to fight for a place."

Following a strong pre-season for the north London side, clubs from around Europe began to show interest in him. 

Nketiah claimed: "There were a lot of options, there were options for me to go to Germany but me, my family and the club decided Leeds was the best place."

The player is seen as a key part of Arsenal's future and will hope that he continues to perform throughout the season.