Arsenal: Ranking young prospects by superstar likelihood

PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Eddie Nkethia of Arsenal is congratulated by team-mates after he scores a goal to make it 2-0 during the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Portsmouth FC and Arsenal FC at Fratton Park on March 02, 2020 in Portsmouth, England. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images) /

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PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND – MARCH 02: Christian Burgess of Portsmouth FC battles for possession with Reiss Nelson of Arsenal during the FA Cup Fifth Round match between Portsmouth FC and Arsenal FC at Fratton Park on March 02, 2020 in Portsmouth, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

5. Reiss Nelson

It is easy to forget just how brilliant Reiss Nelson performed when he first broke onto the senior scene during the preseason tour of Australia in 2017. Direct, pacy, skilful, creative, he displayed all of the natural abilities you would want in a modern-day winger.

Since then, Nelson has been unable to reach those same lofty heights. There have been individual performances that display his talent. He was, for instance, superb in a recent FA Cup victory over Portsmouth. He scored six goals and added one assist in his first 325 Bundesliga minutes. However, consistency has been lacking, which is somewhat natural for young players,

Mikel Arteta seems to be a major believer in Nelson. He has repeatedly backed the youngster publicly and has not been afraid to start him, even in the place of more prepared alternatives. Nelson will get a chance to impress. Arteta will make sure of that. But is he good enough to take it?

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