Emile Smith Rowe has come through the ranks at Arsenal but as youngsters it was Reiss Nelson 's light that shone brightest.
The winger is another of those at the Emirates to be on the club's books since a young age, although he has not been able to establish himself like Smith Rowe. Nelson enjoyed a breakout year whilst on loan in Germany with Hoffenheim back in 2018/19, but has struggled to continue that development.
Smith Rowe, along with Bukayo Saka, is now one of the leading lights for Arsenal having been given the opportunities to excel - which resulted in him earning the No 10 shirt. However the playmaker admits that as kids it wasn't him who looked destined for first-team football with Nelson being the one who stood out.
He told the Vibe with Five YouTube channel : "Reiss Nelson - he was the one in my age group. The things he used to do, you couldn't believe it sometimes." Nelson has made a total of 48 appearances for the Gunners, scoring on four occasions. Last term he was on loan at Feyenoord where he made 32 outings.
Smith Rowe has been able to continue his rise whilst Nelson has struggled to do so. Chances have very much been at a premium with the Gunners having so many options in attack. This summer they've added Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City - and he's already left his mark on Smith Rowe.
He added on those that have impressed him: "The players that have come back [from loans], I already know how good they are so it’s not a surprise to see how good they are and how well they are doing. But from the new players, I think Gabriel Jesus. I didn’t actually realise how sharp he was!
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"Obviously I’ve played against him and watched Man City a lot but when you actually see him in training… I’ve been telling my friends that he’s ridiculous. Everyone in the team is really excited for the new season and the fans should be as well I think."
Jesus has started his spell at Arsenal impressively, scoring for fun in pre-season. There were doubts over how prolific the Brazilian would be given his record at City, but he's proving to be a huge hit in front of goal having filled the void left by the recently departed duo Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Arsenal are looking to break into the top four this term having narrowly missed out last season with Tottenham pipping them late on. They've invest heavily again with their spending exceeding the £100m mark for the second consecutive summer.
