Once again Arsenal have seemingly pulled a contract out of nowhere in the 11th hour of a deal. We’ve seen Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun both recently renew their deals despite it seeming more likely they would leave.
Now, according to The Athletic, Reiss Nelson is set to agree a new four-year deal with the club despite it looking increasingly likely he would leave for free at the end of the season. It’s a pleasing decision, but at the same time questions remain.
No doubt Nelson has caused a complete 180-degree turn in my own view over the past year. I genuinely saw little-to-no benefit for Arsenal in keeping the youngster beyond this season back in 2022.
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However, I have been more than happy to change my mind again. Nelson has been impactful and frankly earned a new contract offer from Arsenal too.
His goals against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth were massive. The latter in particular felt like a moment that would precede a title win; it is a true shame that the goal against the Cherries won’t have the significance it deserves, much like Danny Welbeck’s against Leicester in 2016.
Taking my Arsenal hat off and to speak bluntly, Nelson should have left. From his perspective, this is an extremely risky decision to renew with Arsenal in a season which will see him turn 24.
Will he get the minutes? With Europa League football it seemed feasible but with Champions League football surely Bukayo Saka is starting twice a week for the majority of the campaign.
On the left, Mikel Arteta has even more options in Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Emile Smith Rowe. Although Nelson has certainly overtaken the latter in the substitution pecking order following a season of injury issues for the Gunners' No.10.
Had Nelson made a switch to a Brighton, or a team further down the table or even abroad he has been good enough to earn a regular starting spot. However, at Arsenal, that simply doesn’t seem as obvious.
Without a doubt, there is some exceptional talent contained within Nelson. Extracting that is a job which Arteta clearly feels up to, otherwise why renew?
Well, perhaps the answer lies off-field. Arsenal are expected to earn a significant amount of money from Balogun this summer and perhaps could see good money made for Nketiah too in the near future thanks to the renewals of their deals.
At the very minimum, this deal protects Nelson’s value and should he leave in a year or two, they’ll get a decent figure compared to the measly compensation fee had he moved to another English club for "free".
The excitement now is to see if Nelson can indeed fulfil the potential that was always promised. The motivation is there and hopefully, the opportunity will now follow.
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