The Gunners were expected to be really busy on deadline day. They were on the market for reinforcements in goal and out wide, while a few of their players had to be moved on too.
Aaron Ramsdale has completed his move to Southampton, while Eddie Nketiah is expected to sign for Crystal Palace before the window shuts.
One player, however, is not expected to get a move out of Arsenal, according to CBS Sports.
Clubs decide against signing Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson because of his wages
Reiss Nelson was among many Arsenal players expected to be sold this summer.
The Englishman was on the verge of leaving the club as a free agent in the summer of 2023, but Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar convinced him to stay.
Nelson agreed and signed a lucrative £100,000 a week contract, but the winger barely played.
In the 2023/24 season, the Hale End graduate played just 641 minutes of football under Arteta. That’s not enough at all for a player at this stage of his career.
The report claims that Nelson has wanted a move all summer, but that is ‘very unlikely’ to happen now, even though a few clubs have shown interest in recent days.
However, none of them have made an offer because of his wages, which the report claims “constitute a sizeable commitment for all but the richest of clubs in England, let alone Europe.”
That suggests that Nelson wasn’t prepared to reduce his current wages, and that is ultimately the reason why he is unlikely to move in the final hours of the window.
Nelson could still have a role to play at Arsenal
It’s safe to say that Nelson is nowhere near the top of Arteta’s pecking order.
The Englishman has Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka all ahead of him, while even Gabriel Jesus has been used over him out wide at times.
However, with Martinelli out of form, Jesus currently injured, and there being more games in Europe than before this season, there is space for Nelson to get some minutes.
To add to that, Arsenal not signing a new winger could prove to be a blessing in disguise for Nelson.
Not getting a move away in this window is not the end of the world for Nelson. He should be prepared to have an impact when he’s called upon because fortunes change very quickly in football.
0 Comments