Leeds United manager Daniel Farke looking concerned in a circular inset, Paul Merson looking to his right.
(Credit: Imago)
Niall Togher
Fri 22 August 2025 7:40, UK
Leeds United travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal on Saturday in what is an extremely tough first away trip.
Following Daniel Farke’s side’s impressive win over Everton, Leeds could be in for a brutal reminder of what life in the Premier League could be like moving forward this season.
Noah Okafor is the latest arrival in West Yorkshire, and Leeds’ new signing could be set to feature against the Gunners in what is set to be an uphill battle for the Whites.
Arsenal legend Paul Merson is confident of his former club’s chances, and an “unbelievable” piece of news has given him another reason to be confident for the season ahead.
Noah Okafor pre-game for RB Salzburg, walking with his phone in his hand
Okafor is an exciting addition to Leeds’ squad (Credit: Imago)
Paul Merson ‘excited’ by Eberechi Eze signing for Arsenal
Following the arrival of Okafor, Farke did not rule out the possibility of more new signings for Leeds before the window closes in his pre-game press conference.
MORE LEEDS STORIES
However, it is Eze’s proposed move to Arsenal that has unsurprisingly caught Merson’s attention, with the Crystal Palace ace now on the verge of signing for Mikel Arteta’s side after initially looking like he was set to move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking to Sportskeeda on 21 August, Merson said: “Eze is an absolute massive signing for Arsenal, he has the X-factor they need.
“Mikel Arteta has all the players he wanted at his disposal now. I can’t express how big a signing this is for Arsenal, unbelievable. I haven’t been so excited about a signing in such a long time.”
Merson went on to predict a 3-0 win for Arsenal this weekend.
Whilst a deal for Eze is unlikely to be completed in time to see the Englishman feature against Leeds at the weekend, the Whites will have the unenviable task of trying to contain him by the time the reverse fixture comes around at Elland Road.
Given how flat and devoid of ideas Arsenal’s attack looked to have in open play, Leeds will be happy that their new creative force will be unavailable for the game.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke gives a thumbs up
Farke will be pleased he will not have to formulate a game plan to stop Eze quite yet (Credit: Imago)
Key defensive decision for Daniel Farke to make ahead of Arsenal clash
With Jaka Bijol now being eligible to make his Premier League debut, Farke has the tough decision whether to tinker with a defence that looked so assured against Everton in their opening game.
Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk were two of Leeds’ most impressive players, with the partnership proving that they can be relied upon in the top-flight, at least in a certain type of game.
Struijk would be the most likely to be dropped in favour of Bijol
The Dutchman was superb against Everton, making it a risky decision to drop him
Struijk completed 99% of his passes (69/70) in the game
The defender also made eight clearances during the match
This type of decision is why Farke is paid the big bucks, but when considering Bijol only featured for 15 minutes against AC Milan in the final pre-season match, it would be a big ask of the Slovenian to throw him in against such a quality side.
Sign up for the MOT Leeds News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Leeds United news sent straight to your phone.
Related Posts