Arsenal: Jeff Reine-Adelaide “axe” doesn’t need to be fatal

Former top Arsenal prospect Jeff Reine-Adelaide has been axed from the tour squad, but this blow doesn’t need to be fatal. In fact, it shouldn’t be.

Arsenal‘s tour squad is set, and there are only a handful of exclusions. Three of the five exclusions are obvious – Jenkinson, Akpom, Campbell. All of them are irrelevant and have nothing to do with the current or future of the squad.

But Krystian Bielik and Jeff Reine-Adelaide were also cut from that tour squad, and they should absolutely still have a future with the squad, if not a present also.

Reine-Adelaide is now being linked with a move to Leeds, but from the sounds of it, the link is meant to be a permanent move, ending Reine-Adelaide’s tenure at Arsenal before it could even really get started.

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This seems a bit sudden. The same way that Kelechi Nwakali’s loan with an option to buy seemed sudden. It’s not necessary and, honestly, it’s a waste of what could be a really talented player.

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Reine-Adelaide suffered a debilitating injury at the end of last year, but at 20 years old, he has plenty of time to put it back together and get back to where he was – a consistent, reliable member of the reserve set-up. He produced quality performances both out wide and through a central attacking position and while more development is certainly necessary, let me say again that he is only 20.

Meaning that more time can and should be given to him to get done what he needs to get done.

Our creative attacking midfield is set as is, but that could change as early as next summer. Ozil and Mkhitaryan are not exactly young anymore, and it’s important to figure out who is going to replace these two when they inevitably start to deteriorate.

It may not be Reine-Adelaide, but I’d rather find that out while he is still on the books here rather than risk finding out that he could have done the job when he is wearing a different shirt somewhere else in England.

The talent is there, the composure is there. A bit of fine-tuning and he should be on the list of candidates to take the long-term reigns of this creative midfield. At the very least, give him this chance to recover from an injury with a loan.

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An outright sale is pointless.