Reiss Nelson has revealed that he has no intention of leaving Arsenal with his deal at the Emirates Stadium set to expire in the summer. The 22-year-old winger faces an increasingly uncertain future at London Colney with the Gunners yet to offer him a new contract.
The Hale End graduate has featured just four times for the north Londoners this season, directly contributing towards three goals. And, all three of which came against Nottingham Forest at the weekend after he replaced Bukayo Saka, who was replaced due to injury.
Having impressed off the bench, Nelson has made a push to prove his worth to Arsenal. He will be eligible to begin pre-contract talks with foreign clubs in January over a free transfer at the end of the season if he fails to pen an extension.
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Speaking to the press after the Forest clash, Nelson revealed his intention to extend his future at the club and his conversation with Mikel Arteta. When asked whether he's worried about his future, he answered: "I've never doubted myself at this football club.
"Arsenal is a team that I've been at since I was eight years old and I have a very, very strong bond and love for the club. Of course, there's been times where I've been a bit down when I haven't played or been on the bench, but my plan has never been for me to leave the club or say that I have no future here and I will do everything possible to get there."
Nelson continued by detailing the conversations that he's had with the Arsenal boss regarding his future prospects. He said: "I spoke with the boss before the start of the season and he was very clear with me.
"He said he's seen a transition in my game and my attitude and just my whole profile as a player, which he really likes and he wants to bring that into the team and he thinks that can really benefit the team and there was no talks with me about leaving in the summer."
With Nelson's time at Arsenal, as it stands, coming to an end, he's insisted that he would 'love' to pen a new deal. The winger said: "Of course, I only have some months left on my contract but at this moment in time, getting a new deal, of course, that would be amazing and I would love to commit to the club.
"But I'm just really, really focused on doing everything I can possible just to do the right stuff and if I get to play for the team to do well, of course, it's hard coming in for 5-10 minutes and of course, I would love to play much, much longer. But any opportunity I get, I'm going to try and take and just do my very best and just keep helping the team really."
Nelson has struggled to nail down consistent first-team opportunities in recent years, with loan spells in the Bundesliga and the Eredivisie. While the winger has impressed in flashes, he's eager to knuckle down and polish his game.
"I don't think anything has really changed since I was 19," he said. "At 19 I think I will still on loan at Hoffenheim, where I had a great loan spell, in my opinion, played a lot of games in great competitions and got managed a great manager.
"Of course, I'm 22 now, turning 23 soon, and for me it's just about getting the rhythm of playing much more games now and trying to progress into starting week-in week-out and just to reach a new level," Nelson added. "I feel like I'm at a level now where I'm still not at the rhythm that I would like to be and I just want to get to a rhythm where I'm playing regularly and I can just get into a full swing of things and actually get into my stride and feel confident every time I get the ball and every time I get in a one-v-one opportunity to take my man on and take my opportunity and do something well for the team."
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