Reiss Nelson could’ve hit same heights as Bukayo Saka years before, but Arsenal got one thing badly wrong

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With Reiss Nelson now looking likely to leave the club this summer, Arsenal may well have regrets over how they handled his development. 

There can be no doubting Reiss Nelson’s talent. 

The Arsenal winger was a standout figure within the cub’s Hale End academy system from an early age.

Born in London, he joined the club as an eight-year-old, and excelled as he grew up at Hale End. Back in the summer of 2017, when a then-17-year-old Nelson impressed during pre-season, Sky Sports described him as “rated as one of the Gunners’ most exciting prospects.”

He made his competitive debut for the club as a substitute in the Community Shield that same summer, handed his bow by then-manager Arsene Wenger. Nelson went on to make 16 first team appearances for the Gunners over the course of the 2017/18 season.

The attacker spent the following campaign on loan with Hoffenheim, and impressed in Germany. In 2019/20, he made a further 22 appearances for Arsenal, netting three times – his first goals for the club.

He ought to have kicked on from there, and established himself as a star at the Emirates Stadium, but his career stalled somewhat at this stage.

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Where Arsenal went wrong with Reiss Nelson

Injuries slowed his progress, and after the appointment of Mikel Arteta in December 2019, Nelson gradually slipped down the pecking order. 

Fitness concerns were a big factor in the limiting of his opportunities, but then the decision was taken to allow Nelson to leave the club for the 2021/22 season, joining Feyenoord on loan. 

He was able to largely stay fit, and made 32 appearances, across all competitions, for the Dutch outfit, but never really settled there and could not consistently impress.

It was a mistake to ever send Nelson away from Arsenal at that stage in his career. He had finally found a way to stay fit, and needed to be given an extended run in the team, under Arteta, to adapt to the manager’s tactics, gain some confidence, and prove his worth at the highest level.

Since then, and following the emergence of Bukayo Saka, Nelson has been playing catch up and gradually falling ever further behind. 

Nelson might have been a figure as important to Arsenal as Saka is now had he been granted the chance to grow into such a role when the time was right, instead of being shipped off to the Netherlands.

Nelson has praised Arteta’s impact at Arsenal, but the Spanish coach may well have regrets over how he has managed the 24-year-old.

West Ham United in race to sign Reiss Nelson

West Ham United are now keen to sign Nelson this summer, as are Crystal Palace, Brentford, and Fulham. Arsenal are yet to receive a formal offer from any club for the wide man though. 

Nelson could well still have a successful Premier League career, but he must move on from the Emirates Stadium now and play regularly elsewhere in order to stand a chance of that.