Reiss Nelson: Arsenal through and through

Now 24 , Reiss has been at Arsenal for 16 years, progressing rapidly through the youth ranks at Hale End before making his first-team debut at the age of 17 in the 2017 Community Shield.

He has since gone on to make nearly 100 appearances for the first team, scoring some memorable, crucial goals in that time, as well as starring in two loan spells – away to Hoffenheim in Germany and Feyenoord in the Netherlands.

Throughout that time, his values and personality has remained consistent – namely being a positive, friendly character among staff and team-mates, who counts on unwavering support from a close-knit family unit.

His football journey began back at school – the London Nautical School in SE1 to be precise. It was there where the young Reiss took his first steps into a team environment, and fell in love with the winning feeling.

“We had a few good players you know,” he says, reflecting on his time in Year 7. “London Nautical was a great school that produced a lot of talent. John Bostock went there a few years before me, and the school was linked to a few teams.

“In my year group we had players playing for Charlton, Millwall, Reading and a few others, so our team was filled with a lot of good players.

“Matchdays were a bit like a kickabout for us to be honest. We used to win every game comfortably. In fact I only remember us losing once the whole time I was there, so the team spirit was great.

“We used to set challenges to ourselves in each game, that somebody had to score or do something, otherwise there would be forfeits. It was funny. I played as a 10, the boy who was at Millwall played on the left and our striker was one of my close friends – still is to this day – I used to tell him to just get on his bike and I would find him! That’s what we did every game.

“From that team I would say I’m still in touch with a lot of them – they are good memories for me.”

So what sort of character was Reiss at that age? Would he describe himself as one of the jokers in the group?

“I think I was in between being the loudest or the quietest,” he says. “There were a few louder than me. I was probably more reserved than most, because there were a few loud guys there, but it was funny when we all came together.

“You know what it’s like at secondary school – you have a laugh with your mates and we were like that in the team as well. I was probably one of the guys who looked to stir things up in the background!”

By then, Reiss had already joined the Hale End academy. He signed for us as an eight-year-old on May 12, 2008 and was soon earmarked for stardom, playing above his age groups consistently.

How different, then, was his life in the academy compared to what he was used to with his school?

“It was very different. In a school team you know each other from the area you grew up in, but at an academy there are boys from all over, so I didn’t really know anyone when I came in.

“At that age it’s a bit more difficult to make friends but after a couple of weeks it became a lot easier to fit in and make friends. We quickly formed a good togetherness on the pitch. I felt I stayed the same in my character. Sometimes I was the louder one, other times more reserved. I liked to check in on everyone, make sure everyone was cool. I like to speak to everybody, I like to get to know everyone and check when they are upset or whatever. I’ve always had that. I’m not one to keep myself to myself – I’m one of the sociable ones.”

Having grown up at the club, Reiss is now in a position to help the new players settle in, especially those who have followed his footsteps from the academy.

“I’ve been here so long now that I feel like part of my job is looking out for the younger players,” he says. “Although I’ve been here a long time, I’m still one of the youngest in the team, but definitely when players come up from the academy I always try to help them.

“Players like Ethan, Myles, Amario – I was in their position so I try to give them as much information as I can. I try to praise them, give them courage to do their thing when they train with us, because I know what it’s like to be on that end of it.

“In Dubai during our winter break I got to spend some time with them and they are cool kids, so I’m happy they are doing well. I just reminded them they can speak to the senior players whenever they need to,” he adds.

“i like to speak to everybody, i like to get to know everyone and check when they are upset or whaetever. i've always had that”

Reiss has been on the other side of the fence as well. Twice in his Gunners career he has been loaned out abroad. Most recently in 2021/22 when he spent the season with Feyenoord, but before that as a teenager, when he went to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga for 2018/19.

It was the first time in his life that he’d had to be apart from his teammates, but also away from his close family unit.

“It was hard,” he admits. “I didn’t know anyone there – it was all new to me. I was one of the first young English players to go out on loan to Germany, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was different, going from a top club then arriving in the middle of Heidelberg, and having a load of people having an opinion on you straight away. I found it hard, but as I said, I like to be sociable and I tried to keep that side of my personality.

“We had a great team, lots of English speakers. The skipper helped me, the manager Julian Nagelsmann helped me a lot too and was good for me, Nico Schulz – so many of the players. Joelinton was there that season, but his English wasn’t great!”

Reiss netted seven times from 23 Bundesliga appearances for Hoffenheim, and he said the way he settled into life off the pitch helped him massively on it.

“My whole thing was that I was there to do a job,” he says. “I was really insistent that I wanted to go on loan at that stage. I pushed for it, so I knew I had to go there and prove to myself, and everyone at Arsenal, that I was good enough to play. So I put my head down, tried to play as many games as I could.

“That was my focus, and it becomes easier to settle in when you’re playing – your energy is up. I remember I scored on my debut and that night we went out for dinner, and I got to know a lot of people. From then on it was easier, and in my second training session I backed myself, and found myself in a group of about six or seven of us who got on well.

“I 100 per cent believe you have to fit into the team and understand it. So a lot of it is off the pitch as well, getting to know people. I believe the better the relationships you can form, the better it is on the pitch when you are with them.”

For Reiss his time in Germany was also a time to grow up, become more independent and learn about the things he’d previously taken for granted.

“I was 18 when I went to Hoffenheim, and the first few months were easier because I had my family with me. My brother and a friend were there with me, but when they went back I was on my own for a few months. That’s what I found hard, living on my own for the first time in a foreign country. It’s the little things you know? Knowing when the supermarkets shut, what days things are open, doing the housework, the washing – I’d never done that before. My family were constantly calling me though, checking in on me, making sure I was OK, even if they weren’t with me.”

Family has always been important for Reiss. His sister regularly drove him to training sessions at Hale End and he spent a lot of time with his siblings growing up when they worked at the local youth club, mainly playing pool and table tennis. He played so much table tennis in fact, that he backs himself as “probably the best in the league at it”.

“My whole family live on the same road as me,” says Reiss, who was born in Elephant and Castle. “We all live next door to each other – there are quite a few of us to be fair. That’s what keeps me going – they are my drive, my backbone, and they come to every game to support me. My nieces and nephews love it, and I’m so proud that they can watch me at their age, playing for a great team like Arsenal.

“Hopefully it gives them something to look forward to, watching their uncle play at the weekend or in a Champions League game. That’s a really nice feeling.

“They are in my mind when I play, celebrations and things like that are towards them because all of my family have been a huge part of my career.”

So Reiss has his real family, and his Arsenal family have virtually become intertwined over the years, having spent more than half his life as an Arsenal player, and he says the spirit right now within the squad is as good as he’s known.

“It’s amazing,” he smiles. “I’ve been a part of loads of different groups here, coming through the age groups, and I feel like there’s no divide at all between any of the players here. I feel like any player or any of the staff can go and sit on any table here and speak to anyone. And the good thing is we know each other so well that we don’t have to just speak about football. It can be about anything, and that’s really nice. I think the boss has done really well to get that team camaraderie, where everybody gets together and understands each other on a personal level. It’s really good.”