Reiss Nelson must regret rejecting loan exit and must leave Arsenal in January for playing time

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This summer it looked as though Arsenal would be sending talented winger Reiss Nelson on his way to try and get some much-needed experience away from the club on loan. 

With Arsenal well-stocked in the wide areas, especially with the arrival of Willian in the summer, Nelson was facing an uphill battle for regular playing time.

The youngster found himself linked with the likes of Besiktas and Gunners fans were probably expecting him to head out. 

However, as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta later confirmed, Nelson rejected any potential loan move away from the club. 

“We had a few plans in mind with Reiss,” Arteta was quoted by The Sun in October. “One of them was to send him on loan to get more minutes because of the competition we have up front.

“The reality is he has been really good in training. He wants to stay here. He wants to fight for his place.”

Which now, in hindsight, the 20-year-old is surely regretting.

Not only because he is struggling to play football at Arsenal but because when he does, he has looked so impressive.

The England under-21 international was superb in his most recent outing against Dundalk in the Europa League and he might have thought he had played his way into first-team contention. 

However, he was not even in the squad for Arsenal’s subsequent games with Manchester United and Aston Villa. 

Nelson needs to be playing and it is a genuine shame to see him not getting the regular playing time he desperately needs to cultivate his tremendous talent. 

It’s a decision that he will surely be reconsidering come January, when a loan move could be the making of his Arsenal career.