Arsenal: Reiss Nelson the transfer that doesn’t need to happen

There is a ton of talk about who will come in to replace Arsenal’s two departing superstars, but don’t we already have a partial answer in Reiss Nelson?

Arsenal’s transition won’t fully be complete until we know good and well what is going to happen with both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. Which is tough, because no one can say for certain exactly what is going to happen, but all hints and the accompanying speculation does not look good.

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Neither one is inspiring confidence in a prolonged stay, but some Gooners, myself included, aren’t terribly beat up over this and are instead urging for it to just come quickly and be done with.

The conversation now involves who will replace them. There are stars in the eyes of most supporters, envisioning all the possibilities, most of which include Thomas Lemar and/or Julian Draxler.

But is it crazy to think that a partial solution is already in house with Reiss Nelson? He has looked shaky at wingback, thus far, but that’s only on the defensive end. On the attacking side of things, he has been just as magical, breaking ankles and making defenders look like non-factors.

And, of course, he has spoken out about how he wants to move farther forward. So when the chance comes to do just that and potentially let a 17 year old into the larger first team picture at such a young age, why wouldn’t we

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We were all so keen to see him called up immediately and seeing as how Ozil isn’t exactly missed and Alexis has been good, but not great, why not slip Nelson in there?

I think of it like when Manchester United allowed Marcus Rashford to take the reigns at the tail end of Louis van Gaal’s tenure. It worked. It worked big time. Not just that, but even when he was later replaced by a bigger transfer, he still fought his way back into the starting XI, where he stays now, quite comfortable, at the age of 19.

We can do that. Let’s cut Ozil and/or Alexis loose in January, let Nelson take the reigns and if, by the end of the season we aren’t wholly convinced yet, we can splurge on something new. Just like United did.

I’d love to see Lemar and or Draxler come in right away, but I have to think about this practically. If Nelson is going to be as special as we all think he will, then let’s get him started with a golden opportunity early.

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If nothing else, we know he will have nothing but hunger, something that has been driving the Gunners early on this season.