Reiss Nelson says he’ll return from his season on loan at Hoffenheim with the aim of breaking into the Arsenal team next season. The 20-year-old took the opportunity to continue his football education with a temporary move to Germany last summer and he hit the ground running in the Bundesliga, netting six times in the first two months as he landed the league’s rookie of the month award in October.
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However, the England Under-21 international’s form has tailed off since the turn of the year, while he was reportedly dropped by head coach Julian Nagelsmann in March following a breach of discipline. Nelson will hope to work his way back into the first-team picture before the end of the season and his return to Arsenal, where he will be setting his sights on establishing himself in the first-team.
The forward featured regularly in the Europa League last season and is determined to catch the eye of head coach Unai Emery when he is back in London, insisting he’s not given up on his dreams of becoming a regular for the Gunners.
“If I wasn’t aiming to break into the Arsenal first team, that wouldn’t be the correct mindset. I need to go there with that mindset of breaking into that team,” he told the Telegraph. On his time at Hoffenheim, he added: “For me it’s just about playing – getting the game time you need to prove to everyone you can play at that high level.”
