Reiss Nelson may end up staying at Arsenal. The Hale End star has not been fortunate enough to find a new team. He spent most of last season as a bench warmer, starting just one league game, and many anticipated his departure this summer to secure more playing time elsewhere.
Although many expected Leicester’s King Power Stadium to be his new home, the player’s £120,000 per week salary proved to be a stumbling block. In fact, the issue has been about the winger’s pay, and Arsenal’s demands for a deal have been a sticking point for most suitors. If Nelson stays, he has an opportunity to redeem himself and become the ideal Bukayo Saka deputy.
Some Gunners are concerned about whether the Hale End star has what it takes to force his way into this team, but former Gunner Alex Iwobi did explain why he can. Iwobi once asserted Nelson’s qualities, arguing that the winger is pure quality in training.
He describes the Gunner winger as a patient footballer who is always eager to make an impact, even if only in a cameo appearance.
“[Nelson] was a joke in training, he used to do bare tricks,” Iwobi said. “He’s another one that has that raw street ability,”
“I have to give it to him, someone that’s been patient. Every time he’s come on to play, he’s delivered. I think he’s been the most impactful sub this season.
“For someone to be able to do that and you’re not playing regularly, to have that elite mindset to know that you’re going into a game and I’m gonna do my thing and make sure I help the team win, I have to rate it.”
If Arsenal wanted an equal to Saka on the left wing, I believe it is time to accept that they will never get one. Players with the same impact and brilliance as Saka are rare.
If Nelson was (and still is) as brilliant in training as Iwobi describes him, and if he can translate his training self to the pitch once granted a cameo appearance, he could yet make it at the club. The fact that the team used him as a substitute in the victory over the Wolves on Match Day 1 suggests that he will likely receive similar opportunities this season.
Daniel O
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