Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Luke Thrower

Forgotten Arsenal star has sent Edu and Mikel Arteta clear message with Erling Haaland reminder

Arsenal's shot at winning the Premier League title race will come down to many fine margins, with another going in their favour last weekend. In a five-goal thriller at the Emirates Stadium, a 97th minute strike from Reiss Nelson earned the Gunners all three points over Bournemouth as the crowd erupted at the sight of the goal.

Late goals, a deep squad and a touch of fortune will be needed for whichever side ends up on top by the end of May, with each week passing by giving the north London outfit a better chance at winning the title once again. The impressive feat of Nelson in the previous game certainly underlined all three going in the Gunners favour.

"I always saw the potential, the talent and the desire for him to do it, but he’s at a different level right now," Mikel Arteta said on the winger after the Bournemouth clash. "I think emotionally, the experiences that he had helped him. Football-wise, it was my decision in the last two games not to play him because we had other options. But he was knocking on the door, he’s been training really good and it’s a good lesson for me and for the coaches that we need him and that he can be really important for the team."

READ MORE: Arsenal stance on huge Victor Osimhen transfer swoop revealed amid Man United and Chelsea links

While the Hale End academy graduate has had few chances to impress this season, there are still some Premier League goal contributions to his name in key matches. The 23-year-old has three goals and two assists from just 84 minutes of league action so far this campaign.

With that sort of return, the youngster is averaging 5.29 goal contributions every 90 minutes, which clocks at over three-times the rate of return for Erling Haaland - who sits at 1.42. It's a crazy statistic that underlines just how well Nelson has done in the limited time he has had on the pitch, though it isn't worth reading into too much beyond that.

Those sorts of figures are unsustainable, with Haaland's rate of return from playing most minutes this season even setting unrealistic standards. It remains to be seen how much more Nelson will be able to chip in before the end of the campaign, but he may have already delivered a title defining moment.

READ NEXT:

Arsenal wonderkids drafted in as Mikel Arteta is without senior stars for Sporting CP clash

Arsenal offered risky Premier League title-winning scenario ahead of Liverpool and Man City test

Arsenal's five immediate Leandro Trossard replacements vs Sporting CP with Gabriel Jesus hope

FA investigating Arsenal celebrations after last-minute Reiss Nelson winner vs Bournemouth

Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.