Arteta trust issues mean Reiss Nelson decision could backfire on Arsenal

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Reiss Nelson signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal in July 2023.

Mikel Arteta opted to keep Reiss Nelson at Arsenal by offering him a new contract in the summer, when he might otherwise have left the Emirates Stadium as a free agent.

Minutes have been hard to come by for the winger so far this season, though. This was due, in the opening couple of matches at least, to a fitness issue that the 23-year-old struggled with throughout pre-season.

In recent weeks, Arteta has afforded Nelson a couple of outings from the bench against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, and PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

In total, though, this has amounted to just 45 minutes’ worth of football. What’s more, in Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, Arteta had the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his faith in the Hale End academy graduate.

Arteta seems to lack faith in Nelson

With Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli both ruled out with injury, the manager had a selection dilemma regarding his left flank. However, rather than start Nelson, he instead opted to shift Gabriel Jesus to the wing and play Eddie Nketiah through the middle against Spurs. 

This plan backfired, as Nketiah struggled to impress, and Jesus was less influential than he has previously been when operating centrally. This selection decision also begs the question as to why Arteta opted to hand Nelson a new contract in the summer if he doesn’t even trust the player to start in a big game when the two players ostensibly ahead of him in the pecking order are sidelined with injury.

Unless there is an unstated fitness concern behind the decision, Nelson must surely have been gutted to have been overlooked for a start on derby day. It won’t have done the £100,000-a-week ace’s confidence any favours, and makes his wages hard to justify from the club’s perspective. 

Nelson has looked good for Arsenal in his limited recent opportunities, and he may well be in the starting XI for Wednesday evening’s EFL Cup clash with Brentford. However, at this stage in his career he needs to be playing regular football for a manager who trusts him.

This situation reflects poorly on Arsenal’s decision to hand him fresh terms, and the Gunners may also find he is difficult to sell given his lack of game time and current salary.