Marcelo Bielsa admits Leeds United face difficult task replacing Eddie Nketiah after Arsenal recall

Marcelo Bielsa has admitted that Leeds United’s task of replacing Eddie Nketiah this month will not be an easy one after the Arsenal loanee was recalled.

The 20-year-old has returned to his parent club early with the Gunners citing a lack of game time as a key factor in the decision.

Nketiah bagged five goals in all competitions but was limited to just two Championship starts during his spell at Elland Road having failed to unseat Patrick Bamford as Bielsa’s first choice striker since joining on a season-long loan deal in the summer.

The England Under-21s international is expected to head back out on loan for the remainder of the campaign, but new Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has said no decision has been made over his immediate future as yet.

Nketiah’s departure has left Bielsa with a gap to fill in his squad, and the Argentine has conceded it will be a tough task to find a forward in the January transfer window.

“It’s not an easy job,” Bielsa admitted. “One striker that is playing and doing well, he is not going to come to Leeds to play.

“It’s difficult, but the reason is we have to think well and analyse. Also it’s true that when you don’t have ideal options, or you have options that are the best options you must regard all possible options.”

The Whites head coach, though, believes that the West Yorkshire club will assess all avenues including replacing Tottenham Hotspur winger Jack Clarke who also returned to North London this week.

“We are going to analyse this situation,” Bielsa continued.

“We are going to analyse options for him [Nketiah] and Clarke. We need to analyse the physical level of the players who are coming.

"If he is playing or not. If this player fits our style or we need to make some adaptations. We are going to try to make the best decision.”