Arsenal have reportedly decided to entertain offers for promising academy graduate Reiss Nelson as Mikel Arteta looks to trim down his squad in the summer.
According to a report from CBS Sports, as relayed by the Mirror, Premier League heavyweights Arsenal have made a decision on the future of academy product Reiss Nelson. The Gunners are ready to listen to offers for the 21-year-old with manager Mikel Arteta aiming to cut down on the numbers in his squad.
Nelson is a product of the Arsenal youth academy and has been heralded as one of the brightest prospects to have come through the youth ranks in recent years. The winger made his first-team debut back in 2017 and then went on to have a decent loan spell away at German outfit TSG Hoffenheim.
Since returning, however, despite showing glimpses of his potential, the 21-year-old attacker hasn’t been able to nail down a spot in the starting XI at the Emirates Stadium. To date, Nelson has featured just 47 times for Arsenal, managing a return of only four goals and four assists each.
Game time has been hard to come by for the Englishman this season with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Nicolas Pepe, Willian, Emile Smith Rowe all ahead of him in the pecking order under Arteta. As a result, Nelson has made just nine appearances in all competitions in 2020/21, with only two of those coming in the Premier League.
Arteta had earlier revealed that Nelson had turned down a chance to leave Arsenal on loan and instead opted to stay at the club and fight for a place.
“We ended up with a large squad at the end of the transfer market. We had a few plans in mind with Reiss. One of them was as well to send him on loan to get more minutes because of the competition we have upfront. The reality is he has been really good in training. He wants to stay here. He wants to fight for his place,” the Spaniard had said.
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But, it seems like the decision now seems to be taken out of his hand, with the manager aiming to trim down his bloated squad ahead of the next season. Nelson is unlikely to be the only player to be shown the doors next summer, with fellow attackers Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah staring at exits as well.
One player who looks certain to stay, however, is veteran defender David Luiz. The Brazilian is out of contract at the end of the season and is set to be offered a new deal by Arsenal. Nelson, meanwhile, still has two years on his deal, but his time at the Emirates could soon be coming to an end.
