Arsenal boss Arteta has listed out the reasons why Reiss Nelson didn’t go out on loan this summer.
The 20 year old winger wanted to stay back at Arsenal and give himself another chance to fit for his place with the Gunners.
“It was mixed reasons, Reiss was really convinced that he wanted to fight to stay here,” he explained.
“And when you see that willingness and that passion and that security in a player, you feel tempted to keep him even though you know that opportunities are going to be restricted and he is not going to have a lot of continuity in his play.
“We ended up with a large squad at the end of the transfer market. We had a few plans in mind with Reiss. One of them was as well to send him on loan to get more minutes because of the competition we have upfront.
“But things change very quickly and if he starts playing, and playing well, and he does what he can do, why not? Nelson could start to play more games.”
He added: “The reality is he has been really good in training. Reiss wants to stay here. He wants to fight for his place.
“That is what he is doing and he is going to get the chances in the right moments. What I am pleased with is how he has assimilated the situation – not playing a lot of minutes in the first few weeks.
Arteta has, however, assured that Nelson will get his chance to prove himself – mainly since the Gunners are facing injury troubles.
“As everybody can see, things are changing very quickly. We are getting injuries. We will get more injuries because of the schedule that we have and he will get the opportunities. Then it will come down to him to take them or not.
See More: Top 10 Most Valuable Arsenal Players
