Soccer

‘The Original Starboy’ ~ Who Are You Reiss Nelson?

Photo of Interns Interns05/03/2023 - 12:14 pm
(Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

By Gilad Nagar ~ 05/03/2023

An uneasy and booming quietness fills The Emirates Stadium. It is so quiet that every Gunner’s heartbeat can be heard throughout the entirety of North London. In a hurry, captain Martin Odegaard fizzes in Arsenal’s 17th corner kick of the evening. Bournemouth goal scorer Marcos Senesi heads the ball away. By chance, it lands on the chest of unlikely hero Reiss Nelson. He chests it down. One bounce. Two bounces. The Hale End graduate strikes the ball with powerful intent on his weaker left foot. Sailing through the air and gliding past Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto, the ball finds its way into the top right corner. The Emirates stadium booms. The Emirates is rocking. Filled with chants of “We’ve got Super Mik Arteta!” the final whistle is blown and the entire stadium erupts.

Subbed on in the 69th minute, unlikely superstar Reiss Nelson assisted White’s first Arsenal goal and completed the comeback by majestically half-volleying the ball home.

Scoring his 3rd goal and providing his 2nd assist in only 87 league minutes, Reiss Nelson will attract attention towards his name. Whilst the 23-year-old’s intriguing career has kept members of the Arsenal faithful entertained, most will ask: Who are you Reiss Nelson?

Let’s take a look at the English winger’s career so far!

Hale End Graduate

Born in Elephant and Castle, London, Reiss Luke Nelson joined the Arsenal academy at the age of 9. Immediately after joining in 2009, the youngster impressed youth coaches and was deemed good enough to play against opposition in higher age divisions than him. Later in his teens, Nelson began to attract the attention of Arsenal fans worldwide as he was rated a future first-team player and potential star for the North London outfit. Playing for the U18, U19, and U21 sides, the English youngster competed in a total of 67 matches for the Arsenal Academy. Most impressively, Nelson scored 6 goals and provided 6 assists in the 2016/17 edition of the Premier League 2 in a total of 1,394 minutes. Reiss’s standout performances in the youth teams were rewarded by former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, as Nelson signed his first professional contract for the Gunners on his 17th birthday.

Following his maiden contract at his boyhood club, iconic Arsenal manager Wenger included Nelson in the squad for the 2017/18 pre-season tour. Here, Nelson made his first senior appearance against Bayern Munich in a pre-season friendly, along with making his first competitive appearance for Arsenal’s first team in the Community Shield. The rest of the 2017/18 season saw Nelson make 11 more appearances for Arsenal in the Premier League, Europa League, and FA Cup. Despite Arsenal missing out on the Champions League for the 2nd year in a row, Nelson’s first full season in the Arsenal first team was largely successful, and he hoped to continue improving day by day at Arsenal.

Loan Spell in Hoffenheim

The inevitable struck for recent academy graduate Reiss Nelson as his minimal game time saw Arsenal decide to loan him out for the near future. It wasn’t too bad for the 19-year-old though, as he was sent on a season-long loan to TSG Hoffenheim. In fact, while Arsenal were competing in the Europa League against Red Star Belgrade and BATE Borisov, Nelson was given the opportunity to play against Europe’s finest in the UEFA Champions League. After all, being sent on loan to the team that finished 3rd in Germany’s top flight is not so bad.

Given the opportunity to play in a competitive league by German boss Julian Nagelsmann, Nelson thrived in his role in Hoffenheim competing in 29 total games and scoring 7 goals. Learning from the likes of Croatian forward Andrej Kramaric and veteran striker Adam Szalai, Nelson’s time in south-west Germany was deemed a success. Having signed a long-term contract with Arsenal prior to his loan departure to Hoffenheim, the future was looking bright for the English youngster in North London.

Injury Crisis

Eager and ready to fight for a starting spot in the Arsenal first team, Reiss Nelson returned to the North London outlet and was given the number 24 by first-team coach Unai Emery. A promising start to the season saw him start in Arsenal’s two opening games against Newcastle United and Burnley. Later on in September Nelson scored his first goal for Arsenal’s first team, as he played all 90 minutes in the Gunner’s 5-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. However, problems began to arise as Nelson injured his ankle on the 7th of October in 2019. Missing a total of 8 games in 49 days, Nelson, unfortunately, began a cycle of injuries that would keep him out of consistent Arsenal playing time for the next two years.

In the 2 year period between July 2019 and August 2021, Reiss Nelson competed in a total of 32 games for The Gunners. Hope began to dwindle for the Hale End Graduate, as his continuous spell of injuries saw him miss 159 days of football and 32 games. The exact amount of games he played in that time. With time running out to stay fit, the newest Arsenal manager and former club captain Mikel Arteta sent Reiss Nelson on a season-long loan to Feyenoord in the 2021/22 season.

Nelson’s loan spell in the Netherlands saw him play 32 competitive matches for the side from Rotterdam. This reinvigorated optimism within Arsenal fans worldwide that he could be a consistent first-team player. Mikel Arteta, who always spoke highly of Nelson’s work rate, desire, and professional attitude, would keep Reiss Nelson in North London for the 2022/23 season, hoping to breathe new life into the English winger’s career.

The Resurgence of Reiss Nelson

Having finally played consistent first-team minutes and playing under a coach who fully backs him, this was the season to do it. This was Reiss Nelson’s time to shine under the lights at The Emirates. Starting week in week out was most likely not possible for Nelson, as fellow Hale End academy graduate and consecutive Arsenal Player of The Season Bukayo Saka was arguably the first name on the team sheet for Arteta. However, Nelson surely wished to be a reliable option off the bench for a youthful and hungry Arsenal side. Yet, in a similar fashion to previous seasons, Nelson would begin the 2022/23 season on the sidelines with thigh complications. These problems saw him miss another 56 days of training and 8 games for Arsenal.

On the 30th of October 2022, Reiss Nelson seemed to have a sudden revival as he scored a brace and delivered an assist in Arsenal’s 5-0 win against Nottingham Forest. In fact, that was Nelson’s first Premier League appearance of the 2022/23 season, and a 27th-minute Bukayo Saka injury saw Nelson subbed on with plenty of time on the clock. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, it was surely Reiss’s time to shine for the Arsenal. But, a mere 2 months later, Reiss’s recurring thigh problems saw him miss 44 more days of action for the Gunners.

Arsenal’s surprising title charge in the 2022/23 season saw them be top of the table with 25 games to go. Being 5 points ahead of powerhouse Manchester City, the Gunners began to have real hope that they could win their first Premier League title since the 2003/04 invincible season. With a 2-0 deficit to 19th placed Bournemouth and being at risk of only being 2 points ahead of Guardiola’s City, Nelson’s clever assist and thunderbolt strike completed Arsenal’s comeback to win the game 3-2. If Arsenal do go on to win the Premier League, this match will be looked back on and defined as ‘The Game’ that won Arsenal their first league trophy in 19 years. Reiss Nelson, the most unlikely of heroes, will be glorified as a club legend for generations to come and have his legacy cemented in Arsenal history, regardless of the remainder of his career with The Gunners.

Where to next for Reiss Nelson?

Hailed as ‘The Original Starboy’, Reiss Nelson was praised and applauded for his masterful appearance off the bench against Bournemouth. Despite an impressive 21 minutes on the field, it is unlikely that Nelson will replace Bukayo Saka in the starting XI in the foreseeable future. To see out the season as a reliable rotation player for Mikel Arteta is likely within Nelson’s expectations and a league-winning season will surely also satisfy Nelson’s short terms goals.

Regardless of his future; if he chooses to fight for a starting position at The Gunners or pursue first-team football elsewhere, Reiss Nelson’s monumentally significant goal at The Emirates this weekend will forever live on in the minds of Arsenal supporters. Ultimately, football fans around the world will hope that Reiss Nelson has a healthy career without injuries where he is able to display his elegance and brilliance on a weekly basis.

 

 

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Photo of Interns Interns05/03/2023 - 12:14 pm

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