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Oliver Jones

The two former Leeds United loanees at the heart of Arsenal's revival

As Leeds United prepare to host Premier League leaders Arsenal at Elland Road this weekend, Jesse Marsch will have to plan for two specific individuals that will want a win over their former clubs.

In recent years, two Arsenal players that have been key to their revival under Mikel Arteta have been Ben White and Eddie Nketiah, both of which had spells at Elland Road.

White especially had a fantastic time with the Whites while on loan from Brighton, earning numerous accolades including his one-year stint with the club including a spot in the PFA Team of the Year in the 2019/20 Championship.

READ MORE: Arsenal injury concern as key pair miss training ahead of Leeds United clash

READ MORE: Jesse Marsch given food for thought in search for Leeds United bench spark

Since leaving Leeds, how have their careers looked though? In White's case, his time at Elland Road was the big catalyst for the huge £50 million price tag Brighton put on his head as they attempted to ward off any interested clubs.

His lone goal for the Whites came in his final game of the season - a 4-0 win over Charlton Athletic - which was eventually voted Goal of the Month for July 2020.

Before leaving for Brighton, White picked up the Leeds Young Player of the Season award as well as the Championship Best Young Player award voted on by Sky Sports readers.

However, the Gunners were more than willing to splash out on the then 24-year-old White who had become an England international in his return season at Brighton in 2020/21 where he picked up their Player of the Season award.

Since becoming an international for England, White has made four senior appearances for the Three Lions and was included in Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad for the Euro 2020 tournament.

Nketiah, on the other hand, hasn't made a senior appearance for England but has goals for the Three Lions at the Under-18, Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 levels, including the record for most goals for the Under-21 team with 16 across 17 games.

Despite being with Leeds for half of the 2019/20 season before being recalled to the Gunners, Nketiah scored five goals in 19 appearances across all competitions including three goals in the Championship.

Nketiah had his breakout season for the Gunners' senior team last season, finding 10 goals and an assist in 27 games - although he only played more than 70 minutes in just seven of those games.

In the summer, he signed a contract that'll keep him at the Emirates until 2027 and hasn't let the Gunners down after scoring two goals and grabbing an assist in their opening two Europa League matches this season.

As this weekend's fixture rolls closer and closer, Mikel Arteta's men are sure to be thinking about their time at Elland Road and Jesse Marsch will have to prepare to stop them after their great start to the season.

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