Three clubs wanted to sign Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson on loan during the summer transfer window.
Over the last few seasons, Nelson has struggled to find a regular place in the Arsenal side. The English winger spent last season out on loan at Feyenoord but returned to Arsenal in the summer.
After only playing three league games in the last two seasons for Arsenal, many would have expected Nelson to leave the club during the summer, but according to Fabrizio Romano, speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside via his Substack column, Mikel Arteta has been impressed with the 22-year-old in training.
“Mikel Arteta was really happy with his approach to training. Nelson can be a really important player for Arsenal to be used when rotating their squad for now,” said Romano.
Nelson’s work in training paid off at the weekend as he was chosen to replace Bukayo Saka who suffered an injury during the first half.
The former England youth international came off the bench to score twice and set up another.
However, it could have been a different story for Nelson, with Romano confirming that there was interest in signing him during the transfer window, but Arsenal chose to keep hold of him.
“More than three clubs asked for Nelson on loan in the summer, but Arsenal decided to keep him,” added Romano.
Due to a lack of depth out wide, keeping hold of Nelson was a smart move, and it’s already beginning to pay off.