Reiss Nelson has hinted that he was considering leaving Arsenal on a permanent basis before he signed a new contract and joined Hoffenheim on loan for the duration of the 2018-19 season.
The 18 year old was into the final 12 months of his deal, and despite months of discussion and negotiation he had yet to put pen to paper on new terms.
However, he says he’s determined to come back to North London a better player after a season in the Bundesliga, and to fulfill his dream of playing for the Gunners.
Speaking ahead of England U21’s final two Euro qualifiers against Andorra and Scotland, the 18 year old said the lure of working with Julian Nagelsmann and the experience he’d gain in the German top flight was a key consideration.
“A loan wasn’t always my first option, but when I heard the Bundesliga and Hoffenheim was an option for me and working with the manager there, it was something I wanted to do,” he said.
“Julian’s a great manager and he’s got belief in young players so it’s a good place for me to go and play.
“He’s very young, he’s only 31 and I think it’s important to go to a team and a coach who believes in you, so he was the main reason because he is willing to play us.”
And on his ambitions to make the grade at the club he’s been at since he was just a kid, he continued, “It was hard to leave my boyhood club Arsenal, it’s still my dream to play for Arsenal, but I know I have to put that on hold and go and play abroad to get some experience in Germany.
“So I’m trying to do my stuff there, get stronger and come back ready to play for Arsenal’s first team, so I had to take the opportunity to go there.
“I’ve settled in well and I’m enjoying it. My dad is German too, from near Munich, so I knew what to expect and I’m learning the language with an app called Babbel and it’s going well.”
Nelson’s loan move has started promisingly, scoring two goals in three appearances so far – although unfortunately both games ended in defeat for Hoffenheim.
Gutten ladden
Ladden is ladder
Let’s hope he takes great steps
we should verify this with Babbel
He’s in Turkey, so be sure you keep that conversation quiet from the DFB.
Nelson, keep going, you could be a hero for Arsenal in time! [And without having to lose an arm in the process.]
Hope he doesn’t do what another Lord we know has done with his career- referring to Bendtner of course..
Turns out that wanker is a tool. He could see time inside. Generally not something I wish for anyone but there are those exceptions.
Looks to have a very promising future – I hope he does well this year, it’s a brave move to go abroad at that age, but will put him in a good position for the rest of his career. Good luck.
Is this just a sneaky advert for Babbel? Oh you sneaky old goats.
Babbeln is a term used mostly in the swabian region. Means chatting and/or talking nonsense. Guess that’s where the name comes from. Markus Babbel isn’t that famous actually 🙂
But I had no idea that Reiss’ father is german. Makes this loan move even more understandable. Hope he can continue to contribute and comes back as an improved player. 2 goals already in not that much gime time yet isn’t a bad start in my opinion.
Swap to letters and you get the english translation – babble
Wikipedia says that his father is Zimbabwean actually. Maybe was just born/raised in Bayern. This would explain why he (the father) didn’t teach his son Geman himself, and he needs online help instead.
Otherwise I think the word Babel comes from “Babilon” in Hebrew.
I presumed a link to the Tower of Babel and the apocryphal birth of all languages.
I hope Babbel’s not teaching him how to dive.
I wrote about this the other day.. really think if Hoffenheim were winning a lot more fuss would be made.
http://www.petesongi.co.uk/blog
Do you do your own artwork
Exactly, like Sancho…. Both doing the same stuff really but one is 100 mil?
He’s the only true winger we have at the club. Hope he gets a few more starts especially in the Champions League and starts to get some positional experience, could be a real asset for Arsenal next season. As long as Hoffenheim results continue to dip the more likely the manager will be forced to use him, quite a handy trick scoring from the bench.
I disagree completely that he hinted he was interested in a permanent move. To me, all he says is he wasn’t planning on going anywhere until this option came up. Don’t go all “reading between the lines” when there’s nothing between them.
Good plug there for the app Babbel.
Hopefully it contains all the standard phrases the modern day footballer needs like “The most important thing was the 3 points”, “We’re just taking each game as it comes”, and “Mounrinho is a shit stain”
That’s a bit harsh on shit stains, isn’t it?
What’s the problem with Thierry Henry??…is he looking for a perfect job or what?… Very annoying at this moment
He probably wanted assurances that he doesn’t have to work with any racist, ex Chelsea, scum who shag their mate’s wives.
What’s annoying about not wanting to work with Terry at Villa and preferring the Monaco job. Perfect common sense to me
If anything Monaco is the perfect job.
2 goals in 3 games while the team lost, sounds like while officially he has to say he is disappointed by the results, he can be very happy with his performance.
Also while he is in Germany maybe he can get Sancho to join us!
Wikipedia needs to update its records – it says his dad is Zimbabwean. Maybe he’s Zimbabwean-German?
Also strange that his dad never taught him any German.
Step dad maybe? Because Nelson also does not sound very German…
Reiss maybe?
It’s even spelt Reiß in his birth certificate
Reiss has the potential to be a goal scoring Wideman. I’ve always felt he had goals in him that’s why it ticked me off when Wenger kept playing him as a wingback.
I hope he comes back better and saves up the money needed to get a wide player and spend it on CBs instead.
I hope they use him regularly. They have a rather big squad Hoffenheim. Otherwise it would have made more sense if he stayed around our first team. We are so lacking in wide options particularly from right side. Much of the play (Specifically with Iwobi in) has been from the left and we are unbalanced. The right tends to rely more on Bellerin coming up to join the fray but he can’t always do that due to threat down his side. NO surprise we are more effective second half bc it also coincides with the opponents dropping their energy levels… Read more »
Bukayo saka could be our wide left player quite soon, he is making great progress
Read Stiiman’s “Smashing Pockets” on Arseblog. Emery is not too keen on using wingers, just hybrid ones like Iwobi and Mkhitaryan that operate in the pockets of space created by attackers like Lacazette and Welbeck which was used to devastating effect last Sunday against Fulham.
Glad to see a shift of opinion on Iwobi (and Bellerin) Frankly as mentioned last season MOST fans simply jump on the bandwagon and repeat criticism from the facile press without fully appreciating BOTH the merits of certain players and the faults that often get over amplified. Hence they tend to ONLY look for faults in the player conveniently ignoring the good things they are doing and that other players have also committed similar mistakes in equal measures. Case in point at the moment is Mustafi who does a lot of good things but that goes unheralded. Then when he… Read more »
Some peoples tends to just watch highlight and leave the opinion thinking to the masses, parroting stuff is easier and look “cleverer”.
The manager is currently one of the best rising talents and it will definitely be beneficial for his development. Look forward to him one day playing regularly for the first team
I wonder if he has a little regret, given how well Emery is using and improving Iwobi and ESR. But hey – no harm done if he can come back next year with a handful of bundesliga appearances (and goals) in the kitty.