Arsenal: Reiss Nelson dilemma giving lesson in prioritization

Arsenal are facing enough transfer poachers to shake a stick at, but with Reiss Nelson now popping up, it’s time to buckle down and prioritize.

Arsenal’s current status is one of a ship caught in a hurricane. We have no idea who all is going to be tossed overboard and who will make it through the storm. So many players that were once integral to the club are being questioned over their long-term viability and it’s leaving a bit of ruin behind, as no one is quite sure what this club will look like in six months, let alone a year.

Amidst all of the contract sagas is the unfortunate status of Arsenal’s star youngster Reiss Nelson, whose contract runs up in the summer of 2019, just like key figures like Aaron Ramsey. But for Nelson, who is just 18 years old, the Gunners have invested a good deal of their identity.

This club has always prided itself on youth development, which is why, as of late, they have struggled so much because they don’t spend like other clubs. They therefore have to rely on the pipeline, which has been remarkably dry.

Reiss Nelson is a gold nugget within that pipeline and, as such, he is now reportedly the subject of interest from PSG and Real Madrid. Initially, this doesn’t seem like a big deal. Arsenal can offer him what those two superclubs cannot – opportunity. But they can offer him superior development and prestige.

Which puts the Gunners in a tough situation to compile on their much larger and overarching tough situation.

Nelson needs to be locked down. Losing him would be a wound quite difficult to weather, as he has so much of the future tied to his successes, which we are already seeing at a first team level.

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Conveniently, with the sale of Theo Walcott and the impending sale of Alexis Sanchez, coupled with Arsene Wenger‘s reluctance to spend, Nelson may find his opportunities appearing on his doorstep in the coming weeks.

But for Wenger, to not spend is to infuriate and already pissed-off fanbase. Ties to Malcom have excited the masses, but purchasing Malcom would also block Nelson.

In response, Nelson may see his opportunities at Arsenal as not all that dissimilar from those he may experience at a superclub like PSG or Real Madrid. The primary draw to North London would be the opportunity to break through, but if that opportunity is blocked by incoming signings, then what’s the difference?

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This is all about priorities and walking the line. This is a club built on the hope of guys like Nelson, not just now but in years past. So what’s more important?