Arsenal Vs Nottingham Forest: The Reiss Nelson explosion?

Arsenal host Nottingham Forest in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night. After a disappointing start to the season, is this finally the Reiss Nelson explosion we have all been waiting for?

If you have been reading this site for any stretch of time, you will know that I have been quite high on Reiss Nelson for some time. As soon as the Arsenal youngster broke into the senior set-up, there was a glisten in my eye, and I have been a major admirer of his talent ever since.

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So when Nelson returned to the Emirates this summer after a year-long loan at Hoffenheim, I was extremely excited to see whether he was ready to make a run at a starting spot. His pre-season performances were a little inconsistent, though featured some nice moments, but after Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were both allowed to leave in the summer and Nelson started the first two games of the year, I was hopeful for what was to come.

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But since that time, Nelson has disappointed. He was poor in his second start against Burnley, substituted at half-time, then struggled mightily in 19 second-half minutes against Watford two weekends ago. Bukayo Saka then usurped him in the win pecking order, starting first in the Europa League against Eintracht Frankfurt and then following that up with a start against Aston Villa as a reward for his excellent performance.

I have been waiting for Nelson to explode onto the scene. His talent is superb, he has all the tools to be an elite wide attacker in the Premier League, but so far, he has failed to put it all together. There have been the usual glimpses. The shift of the feet, the shimmy and shake, one sumptuous touch and pass against Newcastle, but the consistency is not yet there, and, in all honesty, neither is the explosive impact.

Saka injected that element of unpredictability that youthful exuberance brings against Frankfurt. He obviously scored a tremendous goal, spinning and finishing from the edge of the penalty area, but every time he received the ball, he was direct, quick, intentional and tricky, always looking to beat his defender — and frequently succeeding in doing so.

Nelson is yet to have this same performance, where his dribbling ability, his explosive speed and acceleration and his eye for goal come to the fore. He certainly has the skill and talent to put in a display like Saka’s last Thursday, but he has not yet delivered when provided with the opportunity to do so.

Perhaps, then, when Arsenal host Nottingham Forest in Tuesday night’s third round of the Carabao Cup, Nelson can finally inject his season with an explosion of jawdropping quality, dripping in skill, slaloming dribbles, maybe even a goal or two. He is likely to feature prominently and should see a lot of the ball with the Gunners expected to dominate possession. But can he take advantage of this opportunity?

Nelson, I believe, is still a gifted player with a bright future. But he is beginning to run out of chances. There is a long way to go this season, but the pressure is now on him to deliver, starting against Forest.