Country: Wales
What are the chances of Nelson doing a Sancho and running down his contract with us? I know Nketiah and Willock have signed long term deals but he hasn't.
Chuba has a very respectable 33 goals in 50 games at U23. Much of that made up of braces and hattricks, not unlike Nketiah. Nketiah also made a number of sub appearances too.What was Chuba's scoring record when he played at the level Nketiah is playing right now?
Growing in confidence definitely. Still getting used to his size IMO. Didn't get that big until 17. But he's a much better technician than given credit. Strong dribbler and clean passer. Starting to see his creativity come to the fore.Is Willock No. 8?
If so, the guy is at the centre of literally everything.
Growing in confidence definitely. Still getting used to his size IMO. Didn't get that big until 17. But he's a much better technician than given credit. Strong dribbler and clean passer. Starting to see his creativity come to the fore.
That's how I'd have described Yaya Toure a few years back. Not the same physique, though (yet).I'm struggling to come up with a player comparison.
As you say, he's a capable technician, able to possess the ball in tight spaces. He's s strong dribbler and a proficient passer of the ball. He also looks very dangerous when moving forward. There have been moments where he's broken forward with intent, both in preseason and in the games he's played so far with the 1st team, with only his finishing failing him.
The difference I see between them is confidence. The Norwich game may have been just a cameo buy when Nketiah came on it was clear he felt he was entitled to be there and able to make a difference. Most of our youth players act as if "they know their place" when they are given a chance and do not impose themselves on a game.What was Chuba's scoring record when he played at the level Nketiah is playing right now?
Chuba has a very respectable 33 goals in 50 games at U23. Much of that made up of braces and hattricks, not unlike Nketiah. Nketiah also made a number of sub appearances too.
Nketiah is currently on 12 in 24. Nketiah's record at U18 is far superior to all bar Benik Afobe at this point (and it's possible Nketiah has surpassed his U18 haul). There's not much data on actual shooting statistics but going by the eye, Nketiah is the bigger assassin in front of goal. Chuba had excellent movement at that level but it never translated. Nketiah seems to have a greater balance of self-effacing for the team, and the selfish streak a goalscorer needs. The more I see Nketiah, the more I believe it's increasingly likely he'll have a good career with us.
What's becoming more apparent is how much his all-round game is improving. He's become very adept at hold-up play, linking with midfielders and is also a capable dribbler - useful for creating space in the area to shoot. All things Akpom showed capability of doing at U23 level. The challenge is translating it to first team level. He's shown good glimpses so far. We need to see more of him in the first team setup.
This is quite concerning to me as we know they're friends and maybe he's keeping tabs on Jadon's experience, noticing he's already receiving first team football whilst Reiss is often out of position and only seeing cup time. We need to be proactive about his contract situation now.What are the chances of Nelson doing a Sancho and running down his contract with us? I know Nketiah and Willock have signed long term deals but he hasn't.
This is quite concerning to me as we know they're friends and maybe he's keeping tabs on Jadon's experience, noticing he's already receiving first team football whilst Reiss is often out of position and only seeing cup time. We need to be proactive about his contract situation now.
Needs to sign a deal first. He'll have a year left in the Summer.If Nelson isn't going to get playing time for us next season, and Jadon Sancho is doing well in the Bundesliga, then it would only make sense for us to loan him to a Bundesliga team.
Dortmund or Leverkusen could be great options for Nelson.
Needs to sign a deal first. He'll have a year left in the Summer.
I think he'll sign, but I'm a little concerned that he's after more first team assurances - in his preferred position no less - and Wenger's reluctant to provide those opportunities. More interestingly, I think Nelson is crafting his game towards being a creative #10 style player, and I am not sure this is the absolute best allocation of his abilities. He could do it very well, but I think with his dribbling and goalscoring potential, he'd really be better off trying to be more of a scoring wide-forward, more in the vein of Sane or Sterling. I've read that his favorite player is Zidane, which might be why he's shaping his game this way.
It's important that if he does go on loan - which I am unsure that he will as Wenger will want to keep him close - he goes to the right team to nurture his development. Saying that, I don't think Nelson is far away at all from contributing for us - I firmly believe he could make an impact right now. I also think that he's someone who should have been given the proper rub when he was red hot, now he's starting to build up some momentum again after losing it a little. Same with Nketiah - gotta strike while the iron's hot. The quality is still there and will be for a while, but we should try to give them games while they're still in good form. And in their proper position too.Yeah, I think he should sign a deal then get a season in the Bundesliga.
Next season our attacking options will probably be PEA, Laca, Mkhi, Iwobi, and Welbeck. I think there's a decent chance that Welbeck might leave, so there could be legitimate opportunities for Nelson and Nketiah to play next season.
However, Nelson might be a season away from being able to have a consistent impact for us, and season-long loan could be what he needs.
Sven's connections in the Bundesliga and Raul's in Spain should help us find a team for him where he should be able to get regular minutes.
Agreed. Nelson is a precocious talent that I think could have a similar impact to the breakthrough we saw with Raheem Sterling at L'pool. But he needs to be trusted with games in his best positions.
If I were building our attack for next season, I would be looking at 2 CFs, 2 wide playmakers and 2 1-1 specialists/outlets.
2 CFs - Aubameyang and Lacazette
2 WPs - Mkhitaryan and Iwobi
2 Os - New signing/Nelson
I think Nelson's ability means that any new forward addition should be a developed player (age 25+) that can provide reliable service while being rotated at points with Reiss.
Normally I am very slow to speak about our Academy products ability to make the first team but bar injuries, I see no reason why Nelson doesn't just make the first team but becomes a reference player for the team in the next five or so years.