Arsenal: Is it worth being worried about Reiss Nelson?

Reiss Nelson got off t such a good start at Hoffenheim that Arsenal fans were begging for him to come home, so is it wrong to be worried now?

Reiss Nelson was the bees knees this past summer, scoring two goals in the build-up to the start of the Arsenal season. There was a lot of excitement about him potentially being ready for the first team, but there was also accompanying hesitation.

The Hoffenheim loan fixed everything. With the Bundesliga’s willingness to play fresh young talent, Nelson was going to fit right in and fit right in he did. He shot off to the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts, scoring six goals in his first eleven matches, which included just three starts.

He’s played twelve matches since then, not scored a single goal or tallied a single assist. In fact, his performances as a whole, stats not withstanding, have been relatively dulled, without much creation involved at all, whether that means innovation on his own, or utilizing his teammates.

What made Nelson so special was his dribbling, speed and attacking prowess, which was well on display in the early parts of his time at Hoffenheim, but there’s no hiding from the unfortunate fact that he has flatlined a bit.

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Which is why I want to ask the question – is it worth worrying about?

Let’s cut to the chase and answer the question first. No, it’s not worth worrying about. Again, we have to go back to what Julian Nagelsmann said when we were getting all hyped up about Nelson – let him develop in peace. Let him do his time, learn his lessons, and get better without so much hubbub regarding his every ebb and flow.

He’s still just 19, which is remarkably young. And his words off the pitch have spoken to his maturation as an individual, which is something we needed to see from him as well. So count that as a success for the loan.

And really, the one thing we wanted from Nelson was opportunity at the top level. He’s made 23 appearances for Hoffenheim. Sure, that only accounts for about 700 minutes worth of play, but that’s 700 minutes of opportunity.

Thankfully, I haven’t heard much concern over Nelson’s drop-off in statistical production. Even if that’s just a case of fans forgetting, I don’t care, the result is all the same. Let him develop in peace. That’s what we can give him.