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?
3Joe Willock
- Age: 18
- Position: Central-midfielder
- Senior game-time 2017/18: 434 minutes
Joe Willock is another player who got a couple of opportunities earlier in the season, and has gone from strength to strength with the academy since then.
In fact he has four assists in his last two Premier League 2 matches. He also captained the side against Everton in February.
Plus, earlier this week the youngster helped the u23s to a win against Villarreal to send the team through to the Premier League International Cup final.
Considering Wenger is generally resting Ramsey for the Europa League matches, and Granit Xhaka is ill right now, there’s a possibility Willock could get a chance this weekend. There seems little point risking midfielders by playing them twice in a few days. Willock could easily fill in.
Premier League 2 stats 2017/18
- Appearances: 11
- Goals: 1
- Assists: 5