Arsenal: Reiss Nelson has found that magic necessity

Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson has been rocking out in the Bundesliga, and Per Mertesacker has hit the nail on the head as to why it is working.

Arsenal became a safe haven for a lot of players under Arsene Wenger. Players came there because they knew that, as long as they earned Le Prof’s trust and became on of his favorites, they would have unlimited opportunities to play at the top level.

Wenger just wasn’t very strict. Which isn’t always a bad thing, but it created such a cushy setting that players were rarely challenged to exceed their own standards.

You could call it a “comfort zone.” A permanent comfort zone. Most players faced no competition internally or externally and if they were replaced, it was permanent, and they had no chance of working back into the set-up. Again, one of the flaws of Wenger’s system.

Unai Emery has been completely different. He’s had a quick hook and no problem moving players in and out, but he can’t reach everyone. Some players aren’t ready for the first team, or some require special consideration or various other obstacles.

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Reiss Nelson fell into the gray area, where he probably would have benefitted from staying, but in order to make that next step, he had to challenge himself. He had to adjust to unfriendly circumstances and come out the better for it.

He had to step outside his comfort zone. I can’t count the number of times I said the words “comfort zone” when Wenger was in charge. If you don’t step outside of your comfort zone, you’ll never get any better.

Academy chief Per Mertesacker (that still feels kind of strange to write), said the exact magic words about Nelson. He highlighted how perfect of a step going to Hoffenheim on loan was. He said that he had stepped outside of his comfort zone and has come out the better because of it.

To me, the magic words will always be “stepping outside of a comfort zone.” Because again, how else do you improve?

Nelson is going to come back in the summer and he is going to be changed in all the best ways. he is going to be more mature, deadlier, and more prepared for the first team.

All because he stepped outside of his comfort zone. Now all we need is to see this all play out so we can show just how good it worked.