Reiss Nelson says Arsene Wenger is planning a ‘bright future’ for him, Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock, as the academy trio continue to edge closer to the first team.
Nelson recently revealed that he’s hopeful he can sign a contract extension to stay at Arsenal ‘soon’. That would make him the third of the 18-year-olds to do so this season, with Nketiah and Willock both already committing their future to the club.
The winger made his first Premier League start last weekend, and says he just needs to follow Wenger’s advice right now.
“The boss [Wenger] is the man in charge and I have just got to do what he says,” he said. “If I keep training hard and if I get the opportunity to play, I will play well and we will take it from there.
“He is one of the biggest influences for me – he keeps pushing the youngsters – me, Eddie (Nketiah) and Joe (Willock) – I think he has got a bright future planned for us. I think a first-team start in the Premier League at a high level like this is a step forward.”
So how have each of the trio performed so far this season?
2Eddie Nketiah
- Age: 18
- Position: Striker
- Senior game-time 2017/18: 117 minutes
- Senior goals: 2
In my opinion, Nketiah is the player who is most deserving of more opportunities. He has been fantastic up front for the academy for years, and had a home debut that lived up to his wildest dreams.
Despite that, he’s still only just managed senior minutes equivalent to just over one match. Wenger has named him on the bench and left him there 13 times this season, compared to the eight times he has entered the fray.
Whenever Nketiah drops down to the youth teams for a game, he delivers. He has seven goals in six matches since that Norwich debut in October. The fact those are the only matches he’s started is the problem.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang isn’t an easy man to displace in the starting eleven. Plus, Danny Welbeck and Alexandre Lacazette are both back and fit. Even if it’s from the bench though, Nketiah needs to get some games in the final part of the season.
Premier League 2 stats 2017/18
- Appearances: 12
- Goals: 10
- Assists: 2