Arsenal: Reiss Nelson is doing something special, and guess what’s next?

Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson put in an epic performance for Hoffenheim, scoring a brace and being a menace. This kid is on a fast track to a clear destination.

It was only a wee bit surprising when Arsenal sent Reiss Nelson out on loan for the year. Given how strong he had been all preseason and the lack of wingers at the club, many expected him to hang around and be a part of the first team picture. If for no other reason than because he is capable of playing out wide and he’s fast.

But the Bundesliga is a fantastic place to develop a young talent like Nelson, and under a young manager like Julian Nagelsmann, who is part of that new wave of fresh faces at the helm that aren’t afraid to innovate.

Nelson put in his best performance yet for the German side. In just his second start with his temporary club, Nelson was fantastic, scoring two goals on two shots, creating three chances, which tied for the team lead.

It wasn’t just the hard stats though, it was the composure that hen showed in the process, like this is something he does for fun.

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Nelson now has four goals in just just 165 minutes with the club, which equates to an insane clip of a goal every 40 minutes. He is tied for the team lead in goals scored and is tied for third in the entire Bundesliga.

And he’s only played 165 minutes.

I mean, we all believed in the kid, but it’s impossible to fathom that anyone thought he would catch on this quickly. Factor in the prolific performances for the English youth side and there is only one thing yet to go – Arsenal.

That’s what’s next for the young man. Any doubts or misgivings have to be disappearing incredibly quickly with how well this loan move is going. If he isn’t back in January, which he doesn’t have to be, there’s no need to rush this, then expect him to be a major player at the start of next season, when Unai Emery will be thrilled to have another youthful option to lean on as the rest of his star-studded club gets a year older.

Exciting times. It makes me almost forget that we could have Nelson and Serge Gnabry paired together if only Gnabry had been managed better. Almost.