Reiss Nelson

Having spent a year on loan with Julien Nagelsmann at TSG Hoffenheim, Arsenal youth starlet Reiss Nelson arrives back in London with a point to prove. At just 19, he has the world at his feet: the main question for Nelson is can he keep out the cadre of attacking stars that Arsenal have lining the bench for long enough to make an impact?

What makes him so special?

For us, Nelson impresses due to his coolness in front of goal. For a 19-year-old wide forward, he shows a lot of composure when the ball drops to him. Despite having less than a shot per game for the German outfit last year, Nelson managed to pick up an impressive 7 goals in just 630 minutes – not bad for a youngster who only made 5 starts in the season.

He’s composed and he has a good idea of shot selection, too, which is quite rare. Often, players of his experience and position are exciting, creative dribblers with poor decision making. Nelson shows good decision making and consistency, completing around 86% of his passes last year for Hoffenheim – that’s a solid return for a young player in a creative position.

Any concerns or doubts?

Nelson stands out due to his decision making, but one thing that he has to improve upon is how often he gets involved in a game. When he’s part of the game he is effective, but he’s suffered from an ability to drift out of games without much fanfare. As he ages, this will have to improve – he’s not yet decisive enough to get away with failure to participate in big matches.

The main concern is also going to be making the most of the gametime he gets. Despite starting the opening day of the season, chances could be somewhat limited for Nelson; he needs to take every chance he is given which, given his propensity to vanish from games, could be tough.