Arsenal make similar Reiss Nelson transfer decision

The number of potential sales Arsenal are faced with is alarming as the departure lounge continues to fill up, with Mikel Arteta and co now reaching the quarter stage of the summer transfer window.

With three weeks down and a grand total of one senior player leaving and none yet to arrive, it’s a good thing time is on everyone’s side and panicking at this stage is counterproductive and unnecessary.

Nuno Tavares will be an Arsenal player, so too Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Ben White, once England win the Euros, also looks set to put pen to paper. A suitable start, but plenty more to come.

In regards to player sales, midfielders galore are tip-toeing their way out of the Emirates Stadium doors, all the while Hale End is facing a significant overhaul. Some exciting young players are making their way through the ranks just as four of those prospects could freeing up space.

Arsenal make similar Reiss Nelson transfer decision as Arteta looks to extend winger’s contract during summer window

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has Premier League interest and Patrick Vieira’s new position at Crystal Palace opens the door for an interesting move should the Eagles firm up their inquiries, while Joe Willock, should Arsenal receive and offer that meets their (far too low) valuation, also could be sold.

Eddie Nketiah was one of the names whose future was already pre-determined. Barely used after the first few weeks of last season, when Emile Smith Rowe was chosen ahead of him to play in a Europa League semi-final with no other strikers fully fit, it hammered the final nail in.

However, Arsenal offered the 21-year-old a new deal on top of his remaining 12 months. It’s an obvious ploy to protect his value and sell him a year later after a season-long loan elsewhere, but for a player his age at a crucial stage of his career, he will want stability. Rightly so. He unsurprisingly turned it down.

As per James Benge, the Gunners have done likewise with Reiss Nelson.

While the one-year extension could see him tied down until 2024, the next stage should he sign would be to loan him out for the coming campaign with interest from the Bundesliga and Olympiacos. Fabrizio Romano adds that three English clubs have made contact.

If Nelson believes in himself, he’s unlikely to sign the deal. Just like with Nketiah, although with an additional year on his deal, at this stage he will want to go out and prove himself somewhere where he can stay beyond a single spell.

From Arsenal’s point of view it’s smart. This is the sort of planning the club has failed to do in the past, notably with Serge Gnabry, even if the likelihood of Nelson signing is slim. What could change that, however, is the calibre of clubs interested.

Should Nelson not fancy what is on offer then signing an extension and being loaned would not only boost his stock ability-wise, but open the door for more clubs to show their hand given the limited finances across in this window.

Beneficial for Arsenal if he does, it would nonetheless be surprising not to see him follow Nketiah’s route.