Why Reiss Nelson is out in the cold

Reiss Nelson cut a forlorn figure on the pitch tonight as Arsenal U23s slumped to a 0-3 loss against Blackburn Rovers. His body language made it abundantly clear this was not the place he wanted to be right now, this was reflected in his below-par performance. So how did it come to this? The 21-year-old hasn’t made a match day squad since his last appearance in early December. The Englishman was side-lined with a head injury but returned to training at the start of the year only to be left out in the cold.

There are a few theories I will explore, however one thing worth pointing out is, this is not a question of ability. Reiss has proved at every level he's ever played that he can affect the game positively. His technical ability is of a high level and this has always been plain to see. This was especially evident within his youth career but also his season in the Bundesliga, which overall was a success. In 2020 he had started to show glimpses of his talent within the Arsenal first team and there was good reason for optimism with some encouraging performances, however its clear somewhere along that journey the train was derailed.

So I ask again, how did it come to this?

Fitness - Nelson's career at this point has been littered with misfortune, there is a feeling that every time he makes a positive step in his development with the first team, its immediately followed by a short-term injury. This has prevented Reiss from building on those moments of progression and ultimately characterises his career at this point as a game of snakes and ladders. It's highly plausible this has caused Arteta to lose some faith in giving Nelson the trust to maintain his fitness, especially at the business end of the season where there is very little room for error, Arteta knows the importance of having players he can rely on. There were similar concerns at one point for Emile Smith-Rowe, however he was able to prove that he could build on the opportunities given.

Training/Non-Negotiables - This is something that I've written about many times before and its well known that Arteta is a coach who rewards players for good form and application within training, giving 100% every day is what we've come to know as 'A non-negotiable'. Nelson's exclusion from match day squads and demotion to U23s could be interpreted as a consequence of not towing the line with his effort in training. Watching the Hale End graduate in recent U23 games, he doesn’t always appear to be fully applying himself and his body language offers little encouragement. One can only speculate but it's a possibility some of these behaviours could have been replicated in first team training and might serve as an explanation for his current plight.

Too Many Cooks - In the last few months, the club has gone through a good phase of having few players on the treatment table, especially with regards to the forward players, having many available for selection. It makes for somewhat of a crowded plate. This maybe the simplest of explanations for Nelson’s exclusion, there simply isn’t room. Arteta was clear in January he wanted Reiss to get as many minutes as he could this season and made him available for loan, as he did with Joe Willock. If reports are to be believed, there were loan offers from the Championship and the Bundesliga. The Englishman seemed to be set on playing in the Premier League either on loan or fighting for his place at Arsenal, however the opportunities for both failed to materialise.

Conclusion

Reiss has suffered a lot of misfortune but turning down the opportunity to play on loan this season may have been a mistake. The door is not closed and a player with his ability will always have a good chance of getting into contention, but it doesn’t look like it will happen this season and this is certainly the biggest adversity he has faced in his career. Working through this challenge could be the making of him, there are many great footballing stories of players that came back from the brink, time is on his side.

This case could go either way at this juncture, a tale of lost potential or another exciting young player to light up the Emirates. Patience is required to watch this story unfold.