Soccer

Sport24.co.za | Nelson: Arteta can take me to the next level



Cape Town – Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson believes manager Mikel Arteta has the coaching ability to help him reach his potential.

The Spaniard was hired to replace Unai Emery partly based on his
success transforming the careers of a couple of youngsters at Manchester
City, and it was hoped he’d have the same effect on several of
Arsenal’s academy graduates.

The 37-year-old is widely credited with aiding Raheem Sterling’s
career at City, while he is also understood to have played a big role in
the development of Leroy Sane.

Both Sane and Sterling are now regarded as two of the Premier
League’s top young forwards, and Nelson is hoping Arteta can work his
magic on him.

Having been handed his debut by Arsene Wenger in 2017, Nelson has
found it tough to establish himself in the senior squad and was sent out
on loan to German side Hoffenheim last season.

Arteta’s predecessor Unai Emery gave Nelson a handful of
opportunities at the start of the season but the competition for places
among Arsenal’s frontline is fierce, and that remains the case with
Gabriel Martinelli recently making a big impact on the side.

Nelson is known to Arteta from his playing days at the Emirates
Stadium though and it looked like he had planned to increase his
involvement in the first-team, only for a hamstring injury to limit the
England Under-21 international’s game time.

Nelson says he was happy to see Arteta return to the club having
enjoyed working with him when coming through the youth ranks at Arsenal
and is relishing being taken under the former midfielder’s wing.

The Southwark-born youngster is aiming high in terms of where Arteta
can take his career but firstly wants to establish himself in the
Gunners’ first-team.

“It is crazy because you look at Sterling and Sane and you see them
before at their previous teams, they weren’t doing what they do now,” he
told the Evening Standard.

“I think that is credit to Pep, of course, but Mikel as well because they said he did a lot of one-to-one work with them.

“You can see it because Mikel’s drive is different. I haven’t seen a
manager with that much determination to make individuals into better
players. I have all my belief in Mikel and I think he is going to make
me into a top player.”

Arteta seems prepared to give the youngsters a chance at Arsenal with
Nelson amongst a group featuring Martinelli, Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah
and Bukayo Saka that look set to get regular game time between now and
the end of the season.

– TeamTalk Media



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