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Mikel Arteta has privately told one Arsenal player he has reached the ‘next level’
Arsenal star Reiss Nelson signed a new contract this week, and the winger revealed what Mikel Arteta said to him that convinced him to stay.
Nelson has been a part of Arsenal since he was a kid. He came through the ranks at Hale End and was always one of the most impressive young players in the academy.
Now, Nelson is set to stay at the club for a few more years, and he has revealed on that Arteta was the one who convinced him to stay.
What Mikel Arteta privately told Reiss Nelson before he signed a new contract
Mikel Arteta has known Reiss Nelson since before he even became the Arsenal manager.
The talented winger, branded as a player with ‘tremendous ability’ by Arteta (), started in the Spaniard’s first-ever game as the Gunners boss back in 2019 ahead of the club’s record signing, Nicolas Pepe.
That showed how much Arteta trusted Nelson, and the opportunities he received off the bench last season backed that up even more.
Nelson looked set to leave Arsenal as his contract neared its end, but Arteta, as he has done with so many players already, told him the right things and convinced him to stay.
Here’s what Nelson said about his boss: “[He] told me he’s seen a massive change in me and he feels like I’m at the next level and it feels like there’s so many more different levels that I can go to.
“So that was the conversation I had with him.
“And for me, I want to prove to him, prove to everyone around, how many levels I can actually go to and that’s what we spoke about.”
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Nelson has always been a player with fantastic qualities, but it almost felt like he didn’t really believe in himself.
The winger was outstanding for the Gunners at youth level, but his initial years as a senior just weren’t up to the mark. Many felt he couldn’t hack it, but Arteta saw something in him.
The Arsenal boss gave him opportunities off the bench on multiple occasions last season, and Nelson produced a couple of truly magical moments that Gunners fans will remember for a long, long time.
Arteta will be hoping Nelson can do that much more often in the coming years.