Arsenal can now use Reiss Nelson in inventive swap deal for £68m midfielder who they previously released for free

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Reiss Nelson is surplus to requirements at Arsenal and is expected to leave the Emirates this summer after 17 years at the North London club.

Nelson spent the duration of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Fulham, where he made just 12 appearances, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the process.

Fulham are interested in signing Nelson permanently, although the West London club won’t be prepared to offer a significant transfer fee for the wide forward, given his injury issues last season.

As a result, the Gunners should look for other potential suitors for the Hale End graduate and should explore potential swap deal options that could arise throughout the summer.

• READ MORE: Confirmed Arsenal summer 2025 transfer ins and outs, signings and done deals

Arsenal should swap Reiss Nelson for Eberechi Eze

Arsenal want to add a creative midfielder to Mikel Arteta’s ranks this summer.

Youngster Konstantinos Karetsas has been linked with a move to the Emirates, but the Gunners should be looking for a more established option to alleviate the pressure on Martin Odegaard.

Andrea Berta could look to conveniently settle this piece of recruitment by using Nelson as leverage in a potential deal for one of their targets.

Arsenal are interested in signing Eberechi Eze, who is valued at £68 million by Crystal Palace.

Eze would provide Odegaard with cover and competition, as well as being capable of playing off the left wing in games against low blocks.

The £68 million valuation may prove too steep for the Gunners, but they could make it a more palatable deal by including Nelson.

This would provide Palace with an immediate replacement option, as well as a significant fee on top of that, which they could use to source a more like-for-like replacement.

Nelson himself would likely be attracted to the move, with less competition for places in Palace’s forward line than Fulham’s and the opportunity to reunite with close friend Eddie Nketiah on the table.

The Eagles will never get another opportunity to sell Eze, who turns 27 later this month and was released by Arsenal as a teenager, for a fee that is close to what he’s worth.

Arsenal fans are desperate to see Eze at the Emirates, and thus, the deal would make sense for all parties.

Eberechi Eze would add something different to Arsenal

Not only would Eze provide Arteta with an alternative to Odegaard when the Norwegian is tired or out of form, but he’d also give Arsenal’s attack a different look.

Too often the Gunners’ attack is sterile and lacking penetration, relying on eye of the needle passes rather than aggressive ball-carrying and dribbling.

Completing 2.33 take-ons per 90 minutes, Eze is a more prolific dribbler than anyone else in Arsenal’s current squad.

His 3.48 shots per 90 is also higher than anyone else in Arteta’s ensemble.

Having a player in central areas who constantly wants to take people on and let fly from range would add a layer of unpredictability to Arsenal’s attack.

Whilst not the ideal option in every match, against low blocks, Eze has the capacity to transform the quality of the offensive side of Arteta’s team.