Arsenal failing on Arteta’s "perfect" academy claim as Nelson latest Hale End starlet tipped to leave

Arsenal are failing on Mikel Arteta’s claim that the club is the perfect place for its academy graduates to grow.

Reiss Nelson has reportedly turned down Arsenal’s latest contract proposal, casting further doubt on his future at the north London side.

Indeed, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano tweeted: “Reiss Nelson has rejected the first new contract proposal made by Arsenal — but negotiations remain ongoing as the final decision will be made at the end of the season.

“Nelson has been approached by many clubs in England and also from abroad over a potential free transfer.”

Once Nelson was lauded as the brightest prospect of the Gunners’ Hale End academy. Yet since breaking into the first team as a teenager he has struggled with injury and been overlooked amidst the stunning form of fellow wide attackers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

While talks are expected to continue between Arsenal and Nelson, the 23-year-old, who is without a single Premier League start since December 2019, has reportedly attracted interest from Brighton and AC Milan.

Arteta's academy promise

Nelson is set to depart alongside fellow academy graduate Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with the English utility player, currently on loan at Southampton, also out of contract this summer.

Moreover, the Gunners are also set to lose Charlie Patino, who has impressed on loan at Blackpool this term, due to the youngster’s desire for regular first-team football.

There have also been reports that Arsenal could cash in on academy graduates Emile Smith Rowe and Folarin Balogun this summer to provide the transfer windfall to sign their primary summer targets.

Such departures would make a mockery of Arteta’s previous claim that Arsenal is the perfect place for young players to grow.

Speaking on Boxing Day 2021, Arteta said: “We have a huge opportunity with the young talent we have at the club. For me, how I coach them is less important than the environment they grow up in.

“They have the perfect place to grow. They see the culture that has been set, they have people genuinely willing to help them and a club that is fully supportive of them.”

Topics: Football, Transfers, Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, Emile Smith-Rowe, Ainsley Maitland Niles

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.