23-year-old winger Reiss Nelson has finally signed his new contract with Arsenal.
Despite agreeing a new deal with Arsenal, Reiss Nelson still didn’t actually sign the paperwork until this week, leading to some concerns from fans that he might still decide to move elsewhere.
Given the winger has been out of contract since the end of last month, that was technically possible. He was a free agent, so he was free to sign with whichever club he wanted.
But the good news first came from James Benge on Wednesday, reporting that Nelson would finally sign his new deal on Wednesday. This was followed by Chris Wheatley stating that the deal was indeed signed, but that Arsenal had to improve their offer to see off AC Milan.
🚨 Reiss Nelson has today signed a new four-year contract with Arsenal, with an option for a further year. First call @jamesbenge.
Excl: AC Milan had nearly sealed a deal for Nelson, but #AFC made an improved counteroffer, with increased bonuses.https://t.co/a6BI648e1U
— Chris Wheatley (@ChrisWheatley) July 5, 2023
Arsenal finally confirmed the deal on Thursday afternoon.
Sporting Director Edu said: “Reiss is still only 23 years old but has already made a significant contribution to Arsenal for many years. He has gained good experience on loan, has come back and showed just how valuable he is to us.
“We are so happy to agree a new deal with Reiss, and we are proud that he is another young player who has developed through our Academy into our first team.”
Mikel Arteta added: “Reiss is a player I have admired since the first day I was here. He has tremendous ability and is such an exciting offensive talent. Reiss knows how important he is to our squad with the quality he has.
“It’s great that Reiss has committed his future to us – he knows this club so well, he grew up here and we look forward to enjoying many more good moments with him.”
James McNicholas had reported on the Gunnerblog YouTube channel that he was sure Nelson would be at Arsenal for the 2023/24 campaign.
Everyone was always on the same page, it was just a matter of signing the paperwork.
After so many years at the club, there was a level of trust there, so Arsenal were willing to wait and let Nelson enjoy his holiday rather than rushing him back to sign on the dotted line.
Both James Benge and Fabrizio Romano report that Nelson’s deal lasts for four years, though there’s been some speculation that it might include an option to extend for a fifth.
Romano himself previously wrote that there was an option to extend. Either way, the winger will be under contract until at least 2027.
Nelson made just 18 appearances and five starts for Arsenal last season, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
Yet there was always a sense that Mikel Arteta believed in him more than that makes it seem, regularly bringing him up for praise in press conferences unprompted.
If it wasn’t for Gabriel Martinelli’s fantastic form and Nelson’s mid-season injuries, perhaps he would have been much more involved in 2022/23.
He’ll now get a chance to feature more regularly in the new campaign.
Reiss Nelson on his new Arsenal contract
“I’m kind of lost for words If I’m honest,” Reiss said. “I’ve been here since I was eight, I’m 23 now. It’s been a hell of a journey, and I’m just so happy. My family are Arsenal supporters, so that makes it even happier. I’m just really happy and I can’t wait to get started for the new season.
“It’s just the way we played last season. I’ve been here for many years, I’ve been here the good years and bad years, and last year especially, I’ve seen the rise that Arsenal have taken. Taking them to new heights and I feel like I want to be part of the journey.
“I want to be part of us going to the next level, which I think the boss, Edu, the backroom staff and the new players and the current players are making. So it was a train I really didn’t want to miss and I want to be here for it, so I’m glad that I made the right decision.
“[Mikel Arteta] told me he’s seen a massive change in me and he feels like I’m at the next level and it feels like there’s so many more different levels that I can go to.
“So that was the conversation I had with him. And for me, I want to prove to him, prove to everyone around, how many levels I can actually go to and that’s what we spoke about.
“There’s ups and downs in football,” he added,” and especially in my young career, I’ve felt that quite a lot, especially with injuries.
“I had two massive injuries last season that kept me out for a number of games, probably around up to 17 games, which is crazy when you think about it.
“When I did get the time or the opportunity to showcase myself, I needed to take it and I was waiting a long, long time, but I felt like there were moments in the last season that I did that.
“Like I said, I was just delighted to get the opportunity and for me, it’s just about how many more steps can I take to keep pushing and keep making it hard for the boss to make a decision for the starting eleven.”