Arsenal: Reiss Nelson needs to be too good for loan

Reiss Nelson established his talent last year. Now he is hoping to establish his Arsenal career. The winger, though, I believe, needs to prove that he is too good to go out on loan.

It was a remarkable summer preseason for Reiss Nelson. As Arsene Wenger rotated through his Arsenal squad, as every manager does in the summer, hoping to get a good look at many of the younger players in his squad that would not receive much game time during the regular season, it was Nelson who impressed the most.

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Actually playing out of position at right wing-back, Nelson was wonderfully direct and deliberate in his play, especially with the ball at his feet. As soon as he collected possession, his first thought was an offensive one, looking to parse open the opposition with real pace and intention.

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He put together a series of excellent displays that then set him up for his first season training with the first team squad, making his full first team debut for the club. All in all, Nelson made 15 competitive appearances in his first season, most of which came in the Europa League where he made three starts and five substitute appearances, most of those coming in the group stage earlier in the season.

But if last summer and last season was about Nelson establishing his talent, this next season is about establishing his trajectory. What career path will the immensely talented winger take? Will he underwhelm and disappoint his potential? Or will he exceed expectations and truly shine at the heart of this new Arsenal era? That all remains to be seen, but he has the talent to be the very best.

The key for Nelson, then, is to chart his progression carefully. It’s important that every step he makes is one that furthers his development, improves his game and greater establishes his career. And, for me, none of those steps includes a loan move, not at this point in time.

Peruse the Arsenal squad and you will find a severe dearth of natural, traditional wingers. The departures of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain meant that there wasn’t really any individual who was comfortable in playing primarily as a winger.

Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all like to drift inside, roaming throughout the pitch, not hugging the touchline like a throwback wide-man would; Danny Welbeck and Pierre-Emerick are adopted centre-forwards that have the pace, the technical ability and the diligence to play the position, but would be better suited elsewhere; Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette are solely centralised players and should never be shunted out to the flank.

Nelson has a direct path to a significant role in the squad, if he can prove that is good enough for it and too good to be loaned out. While loaning players out can often be advantageous for their development, it is an admission that they are not ready to play at the top level, otherwise, they would never be loaned out in the first place.

For Nelson to be the superstar that many believe he has the potential to be, he needs to be too good to be loaned out. He needs to be good enough that Emery’s hand is forced to keep him because he can help Arsenal in the here and now. And in helping Arsenal in the here and now, he will be helping himself in the what is yet to come.

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Nelson can play for Arsenal now. He has the talent. To be what is expected of him, he needs to. Treading down the loan path is a scary and slippery slope, one that can end in a forgotten, dark chasm of wasted talent. Nelson needs to avoid it. He needs to prove that he’s too good for it.

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