Yesterday, Arsenal fans had something to take an interest in when Marseille and Feyenoord contested the UEFA Conference League semi-final in France.
The 0-0 draw saw Matteo Guendouzi go head-to-head with Reiss Nelson, who he shared a dressing room with during his days at Arsenal.
Unfortunately for the Frenchman, it was Nelson who emerged victorious as Feyenoord won 3-2 on aggregate, where he will meet José Mourinho and Roma in the final.
What’s the story?
Well, after full-time, Feyenoord posted a tweet which showed Guendouzi and Nelson walking down the tunnel together.
It was a nice moment, especially as Guendouzi was on the losing side and could easily have been in no mood to chat with a member of the winning team.
However, the pair’s friendship clearly takes precedent above the result.
They made 13 appearances alongside each other for the Gunners, recording a points-per-game average of 1.85 in total, which isn’t bad.
Now, Nelson will get the chance to add to his FA Cup medal, if he can help Feyenoord defeat Roma in the UEFA Conference League final.
Reiss Nelson could leave Arsenal
In our view, Nelson could follow in Guendouzi’s footsteps and leave Arsenal for good this summer.
Despite an impressive turnaround in recent weeks, the £38,000-a-week man has not performed too well in the Netherlands during his season-long loan at Feyenoord.
Nelson has scored just four goals in 31 appearances, and it took him 17 appearances to score his first Eredivisie goal this term.
As things stand, Mikel Arteta barely uses Nicolas Pepe, a man who cost £72m, so it seems unlikely that Nelson will play next term unless he does something special between now and the end of the season.
On the topic of Pepe, Arteta is set to hold talks with the Ivorian over his future.
Crucially, Nelson’s contract expires in June 2023, meaning this summer will be Arsenal’s last chance to sell him for a decent fee.
Only time will tell what happens, but Arteta has a big decision to make.
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