Arsenal: Reiss Nelson needs to start against Southampton

The Europa League is certainly Arsenal’s most important competition. A Premier League game against relegation-battling Southampton would be the perfect opportunity to give Reiss Nelson valuable playing time and something for the fans to cheer.

Its safe to say the 2017/18 season has not gone exactly to plan for Arsenal Football Club. Currently sixth in the Premier League and out of the FA Cup the only thing, The Gunners have to play for is the Europa League.

Fans will certainly feel disillusioned to an extent but in a very Arsenal fashion the genuine prospect of winning another cup competition, albeit a secondary one, has come as a welcomed distraction. Fans are now using Premier League games as a way of voicing their dissatisfaction through conspicuously low attendance. The manager could kill two birds with one stone by giving one young prospect more Premier League minutes.

Reiss Nelson, in a way, has been one of the bright spots of Arsenal’s season. The young English talent was justifiably one of the hot topics of discussion in pre-season. That auspicious start to life in the first team has not exactly translated to prolonged success. Nelson has only made one Premier League appearance with a stint off the bench against Crystal Palace and a handful of showings in the Europa Lague, League Cup and FA Cup.

Arsenal is at a crossroads. The manager’s authority is more tenuous than it has ever been in the past. The appointments of Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi have shaken up the power structure in the red half of North London.

The future may, in fact, be bright for the club, however. The transfers of former Dortmund superstars Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan prove Arsenal still have the ability to pull big names to the Emirates. Furthermore, the acquisitions are paying dividends in the present with Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang contributing a combined 13 goals and assists since their arrival. For reference Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez have only been able to provide a combined eight goals and assists since their January departures.

However, Arsenal’s two new signings are both in their late 20’s and not the type of pieces a club can map a future with. Over the next two to three years Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Lacazette and Ramsey will give the Gunners the core talent they need to battle at the top of the table. Beyond that, however, Arsenal’s future is far hazier.

Once bright prospects like Alex Iwobi, Hector Bellerin, Calum Chambers and Rob Holding have all gone through some form of stagnation or reversion. Many believe as I do that these players would greatly benefit from a new manager. One that could give them the much-needed structure and discipline they are clearly lacking at the moment. Fans would rue the day that Reiss Nelson followed a similar path as some of his teammates. Yet more importantly for Arsenal at the moment is simply keeping hold of Nelson at all.

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Recently Arsenal lost two young prospects to other teams. The most high profile of which was Chris Willock departing London for Portuguese side Benfica. Marcus McGuane also joined Spanish juggernauts Barcelona in January. Nelson was a conspicuous absentee when Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah and Matt Macey all entrusted their long-term futures to Arsenal this season.

The trio could’ve been a quartet if Nelson had put pen to paper. Clearly looking for assurances in terms of minutes and inclusion in the manager’s intentions, Nelson looks as though he is in no rush to do that. Like his fellow academy running mate Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Nelson deserves a run out with the first team and this is perhaps the best time for him to get experience in the Premier League.

The most important game of Arsenal’s season will come next week away to CSKA Moscow. With Henrikh Mkhitaryan picking up an injury in the home leg of the matchup, it would be beneficial to rest him in hopes the Armenian could make a return in Russia. Nelson could slide into that forward role in an attacking front with Mesut Ozil and Aubameyang and finally show what he can do.

Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck have both shown very little in terms of dynamism and final product. It would be fair to give Nelson an opportunity to stake a claim. This would help assuage two difficult situations.

By giving Nelson time in Premier League Arsenal can hopefully begin to convince the youngster that his best future is at the Emirates. Likewise, the decision to include him would ingratiate fans with the current regime. Gooners have been calling out for more of Reiss Nelson this season and this would energize a beleaguered fanbase.

Next: Arsenal vs CSKA Moscow Player Ratings

Announcing that he will start and giving the fans something to turn up for could be a crucial way to fill the stadium once again.

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