Arsenal fell victim to a Demarai Gray wonder strike in the defeat against Everton, but Mikel Arteta could have fielded his own version of the winger.
Reiss Nelson is currently on loan at Feyenoord after being deemed surplus to requirements by the Spaniard in the summer transfer window.
However, in the defeat to Everton, Eddie Nketiah was subbed on to play as a winger due to the lack of favourable options in that position, which is Nelson’s preferred place on the pitch.
Just like Gray, Nelson also had a spell in Germany before returning to England in the Premier League.
Gray joined Bayer Leverkusen from Leicester City after struggling to break into Brendan Rodgers’ starting XI.
But after only playing 12 times for the Bundesliga club, scoring once and recording two assists, he was back in the Premier League after six months.
The Englishman joined Everton in a deal worth just £1.7 million in the summer transfer window and has been a revelation ever since, which was highlighted with his winner against Arsenal.
This adds further salt to the wounds as an Arsenal fan, as they have a player who is currently following a similar trajectory as Gray in Reiss Nelson, but he is not with the squad.
Nelson played in the Bundesliga for Hoffenheim during the 2018/19 season, before returning to Arsenal.
Since his return, he has so far failed to break into Arteta’s side, which is why he is currently on loan at Feyenoord for the season.
However, this may not have been the correct decision, as there seems to be a shortage in the wing positions. Nicolas Pepe has been ostracised on the substitutes bench and hasn’t featured in the last five Premier League matches.
The shortages were clear in the defeat to Everton, as Nketiah, who is naturally a striker was brought on to play on the left-hand side. It is even more worrying when you factor in that it was announced last week that Nketiah does not intend to sign a new contract at the club.
Nelson certainly hasn’t made the most of all the opportunities given to him in an Arsenal shirt, but he would have definitely been a more viable option to put on the wing ahead of Nketiah.
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