Arsenal vs Norwich City: Time to do Reiss Nelson a favor

Arsenal nation is all jazzed up about the wonderkid Reiss Nelson, but it’s at the time where we need to do him a favor and reap in the potential rewards.

Arsenal was swept away in the preseason magic acts of Reiss Nelson. The 17-year-old was a one-man wrecking crew, twirling and spinning and essentially dancing every which way with the ball firmly attached to his toe.

Defenders didn’t know what to do with him, and more times than not, he made them look downright foolish.

Supporters called for him to be immediately included in the senior side, but things weren’t going to be that way. Not with Arsene Wenger, at least, the master of caution and patience himself. Still, Nelson did find himself in the rotational squad, which is not a bad spot to be in.

Playing wingback, Nelson wasn’t as impressive as we remembered, but anytime he got forward with the ball, we saw the magic again. It was just in defending, and playing out of the back, that he was not such a hot shot anymore.

Nelson even admitted that he hoped to play further forward at some point, but would do what the team needed for now. This immediately struck me as another potential Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain situation, but for the time being, there was nothing to worry about.

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That said, given the shifts that Nelson has put in and the options available to the club, I think it’s time we let the youngster play in his preferred forward position. As mentioned, he hasn’t been awful at wingback, but it’s clear that he isn’t a defender, and to force him to adapt his game when we are going to need attackers in the near future, well, that just doesn’t make much sense.

Play him at forward, and we will see the very best that Nelson has to offer, which will give us a good indication if he is ready for a more senior role with the club. It couldn’t be better time, with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez each with a foot out the door.

At the very least, you show a youngster that you’re willing to listen to him and reward his hard work. He has been a stalwart for the U23s in advanced roles, so why not try to replicate that?

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The problem is, it’s not clear where he would fit, as we will presumably see Alex Iwobi and Jack Wilshere in the forward attacking spots. But we will wait and see.

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