Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was key to keeping Reiss Nelson at the club as he’s set to sign a new four-year contract.
The 23-year-old hasn’t always been a regular starter during his time at the Emirates Stadium, but it seems he still has a key role to play as part of Arteta’s squad.
Writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column today, Fabrizio Romano has made it clear that there was plenty of interest in Nelson, with AC Milan and Brighton among the teams to explore the potential deal.
However, Arteta did well to keep Nelson at Arsenal, while the fact that the Gunners are set to compete in the Champions League in the season ahead also seems to have been an important factor for the England Under-21 international’s decision.
“The good news continues for Arsenal as Reiss Nelson has signed his new four-year contract to commit his future to the club,” Romano said.
“I’ve spoken about other clubs also being interested in Nelson and I can reveal here that AC Milan, Brighton and also one French club were the teams who explored this possibility.
“There was really strong interest in Nelson but he decided to stay, he loves Arsenal and he’s happy to play Champions League football next season. This was an important factor, including his conversations with Mikel Arteta.”
Even if Nelson isn’t likely to become an automatic part of the Arsenal first XI any time soon, he’s a fine player with the versatility to fill in in a number of different roles for the club over the course of a long and difficult season, which could be crucial for a team which lacked depth at key moments last term.
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