Mikel Arteta's work in developing Raheem Sterling at Manchester City is well documented - so could he do the same with Reiss Nelson?
Our head coach played down comparisons, but emphasised his belief in our forward's rich potential.
"I know Reiss because I coached him when he was 16 and straightaway he caught my eye," Arteta said. "He is a boy that is willing to learn and loves the game but I think he has been a little bit confused in the last few years – what direction he had to take, some of the decisions that he made.
"Now I can see that he really wants it and I think he has the potential to do whatever he wants. He needs guidance, he needs a little bit of a stick, and he’s up for it. I put him to play and I trust him because he wants it and I think he can deliver.
"He needs to take responsibility as well. If he wants to play for this club every three days when yo have to step in there you have to be almost perfect and at the moment I see this kind of attitude and desire.
"If he wants to do it, wants to learn and wants to challenge himself he can be a top, top player for this football club. At the moment I think he is on the right path, with the right attitude and then there are a lot of factors, he needs to deal with pressure, deliver every three days, score more goals and make the difference more for the team because he has the quality to do that."
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
