Arsenal have sent Reiss Nelson out to Feyenoord to gain experience, but he is being criticised for his display against bitter rivals Ajax.
Nelson was expected to become a star at Arsenal having emerged through the Hale End academy.
Yet whilst Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have become stars, Nelson’s development has somewhat stalled in recent times.
A strong loan spell at Hoffenheim in the 2018-19 season hasn’t really been built upon, making just 32 appearances for Arsenal since then.
Sent out to Feyenoord this season, Nelson had a slow start and has been playing catch-up in Rotterdam.
Nelson has only started five league games for Feyenoord and in 16 Eredivisie games, has only managed one assist with no goals.
The 22-year-old is in danger of falling off the radar and Sunday’s performance against Ajax only added to that fear.
Nelson started well and played a key role in Luis Sinisterra’s opener, releasing Guus Til with a fine pass.
Nelson drifted out of the game a little, showing neat footwork at times but without making a real impact as Feyenoord ended up losing 3-2.
The reaction to Nelson’s display hasn’t exactly been great.
Voetbal Primeur gave Nelson a 5.5, the second-lowest rating of any Feyenoord player, ahead of only goalkeeper Ofir Marciano.
Their analysis was that Nelson looked bright early on but ‘sank’ as Feyenoord struggled to attack in the second half.
It’s added that Feyenoord still can’t solve their right-sided problems with Nelson and Alireza Jahanbakhsh both struggling this season.
This doesn’t exactly lend itself to Nelson coming back to Arsenal and starring, with Nelson having just few weeks left to get back on track before returning to North London.
As things stand, Arsenal may well look to sell Nelson this summer; if he can’t make an impact for Feyenoord, he probably won’t with Arsenal either.
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