Pain in the Arsenal
Fansided

Arsenal: Mid-Season player rankings

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal during the Premier League match between Everton and Arsenal at Goodison Park on October 22, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal during the Premier League match between Everton and Arsenal at Goodison Park on October 22, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Reiss Nelson
SHANGHAI, CHINA – JULY 19: Reiss Nelson of Arsenal FC celebrates after win the 2017 International Champions Cup football match between FC Bayern and Arsenal FC at Shanghai Stadium on July 19, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) /

15. Reiss Nelson

His situation is identical to Ainsley Maitland-Niles. And like Maitland-Niles, that’s good and bad. On the good side, we are starting to come back down to earth and see Reiss Nelson‘s limitations (yes, he has those).

But we are also seeing how his strengths can come out even when he is in a position that he isn’t used to and that he most likely doesn’t have a future at.

Plain and simple, Nelson is not a defender. So playing him at wingback immediately puts him up against it and when we face teams with more attacking capabilities, that may get exposed more and more.

Equally plain and simple, he is a genius with the ball. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 17-year old more capable of breaking ankles. He sends defenders wherever he wants to with his quick tricks over the ball and his amazing ability to shake off anyone who attempts to mark him.

Still, if we want to see the best of this young man, he needs to be used in a position that cultivates his talents a bit better.

(Andy: 14th; Josh: 15th)

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