Reiss Nelson has begged for the chance to leave his future to Arsenal and says he has been heartened by talks with boss Mikel Arteta.
Nelson has been at Arsenal since he was nine years old, but had to be loaned out to Hoffenheim and Feyenoord in his pursuit of regular first-team football. However, he has remained in the Arsenal squad this season, coming off the bench in last week’s 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest to score twice.
However, with his current contract now in its final year, Nelson’s future again looks uncertain, even if he knows exactly what he wants.
“I never doubted myself at this football club,” he said. “Arsenal is a team that I have been a part of since I was eight years old and I have a very, very strong bond and love for the club.
“Obviously there were times when I was a bit depressed when I wasn’t playing or sitting on the bench, but my plan was never to leave the club or say that I have no future here and that I will do anything to get there.
“I only have a few months left on my contract, but at the moment of course it would be great to get a new contract and I would love to get involved with the club.
“But I’m very, very focused on doing everything I can to do the right thing and obviously when I can play for the team to do well, it’s hard to come in for 5 or 10 minutes and of course I’d like to play a lot. , more time”.
One thing that seems to speak in Nelson’s favor is the support of Mikel Arteta, who coached him in Arsenal’s youth team. However, what he really needs is games.
“I spoke to the boss before the season started and he was very clear with me,” Nelson revealed. “He said he’s seen a change in my game and attitude and just my whole profile as a player, that he really likes it and he wants to bring that to the team and he thinks that can really benefit the team, and there were no conversations with me about leaving in summer.
“I feel like I’m at a level now where I still don’t have the pace that I’d like to have and I just want to get to a pace where I’m playing regularly.
“I want to go full throttle and really get going and feel confident every time I get the ball and every time I get a one-on-one opportunity to face my man and take my chance and do something good for the team. ”
Source: www.90min.com
