What does Reiss Nelson’s potential new contract mean for Arsenal’s summer business?

Reiss Nelson’s Arsenal career seemed all but over 18 months ago when the club loaned him to Feyenoord. However, after a strong finish to his time in the Netherlands, he has had a big part to play this season.

After grabbing a brace against Nottingham Forest and an incredible last-minute winner against Bournemouth, Nelson appears to have secured his future at the club, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that talks are underway for a new contract at Arsenal.

What does Reiss Nelson’s potential new contract mean for Arsenal’s summer business?

Currently, Nelson’s name is being held in high regard after his incredible showing against Bournemouth, but he hasn’t had much of a look in since, and question marks have to be raised around his ability to effectively deputise for Bukayo Saka.

Romano has previously reported that Arsenal will look to add between one and three important players this summer, with Declan Rice being named by numerous reported sources including David Ornstein, while Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister have also been rumoured.

With that in mind, it appears that the main goal this summer will be to bolster the midfield, which is a must considering Granit Xhaka, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are all on the wrong side of 30.

Adding younger legs, and increasing the strength in depth in the six and eight positions is going to be crucial with Champions League football, as Arsenal won’t be able to rotate heavily and will need a strong squad that can compete with the physical demands of four competitions.

But, what does that mean for the right-wing?

A lot is already being asked of Saka, and although he has shown he can handle the physical demands, next season is going to be even more physically intense.

Reiss Nelson may have had some important moments this season, but he has again struggled with injury and Arteta has only used him in four Premier League games, often overlooking him as an option.

The extension would suggest that Arteta has faith in him to deliver, but given his limited game time, it feels like a massive risk for Arsenal to go into next season with only Nelson as Saka’s backup, even if Trossard can play there if required.

Midfield very much appears to be the priority, and so it should be, but failing to add depth on the right side of midfield could prove costly if the unimaginable happens and Saka picks up an injury that keeps him out for a sustained period.