Arsene Wegner’s Arsenal are heading into a period of their history, which could seriously dent their status in Europe. A number of star players are holding out on signing extending their deals at the club and by the day, the number if only rising. After Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, young Reiss Nelson has joined the list of players, who are not ready to sign a contract extension at the Emirates.
According to an exclusive from the Daily Star, the 18-year old does not want to pen a new contract anytime soon and wants to assess his options, come the end of the season. He is out of a contract in 2019 and Arsenal are desperate to tie him down to a new one. He is easily one of the brightest youngsters at the Arsenal academy at the moment and Wenger does not want to lose him, so young.
Having impressed in his five starts this season at wing-back, the attacking winger is a versatile player, who has shown great maturity, almost every time he has stepped on to the field. He joined Arsenal as a kid in 2007 and has grown through the academy, to finally find some game time in the senior team, this year.
He has 13 goals and eight assists in 31 starts for the Arsenal U23s, which shows his ability in the final third. So it is possible that the 18-year old wants to turn into a full-time winger, unlike under Wenger, who is using him as a wing-back.
A right-footed player, with gifted technique and loads of pace to burn, Nelson is a smart player, who often takes up dangerous positions in the attacking third. He is an excellent dribbler and is hard to mark when in full force while his vision and technique make him effective in and around the box.
At just 18, he has already shown a lot of promise, even as a wing-back but the defensive side of his game needs a lot of work. He has hardly faced quality oppositions in the senior side and his weakness at the back will be exposed if he starts in the Premier League.
He is still in his teens and has a lot of room to improve but his quality and potential make him a superb addition to any of the top clubs in England.
Wenger has a keen eye for talent and the fact that he wants Nelson to sign a new deal with the club shows the manager’s faith in the youngster. He may not be an immediate option in the first team, but is a star they will not want to lose.
However, if they are forced to sell, they will do well to insert a buy-back clause, which will give them a chance to bring him back to the Emirates.
