24-year-old Arsenal star keen on leaving Mikel Arteta's side this summer: Reports
Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson is allegedly interested in securing a move away from the Emirates Stadium side in the summer transfer window.
Nelson, who has been at the Gunners since 2008, is considered to be a rotational option for Mikel Arteta's outfit. He scored one goal and provided two assists in 641 minutes of first-team action, spread across 23 appearances in all competitions, for his club last season.
With game time likely to decrease with the Gunners' continued participation in the UEFA Champions League next season, Nelson is expected to depart his boyhood club soon. Opining on the 24-year-old's future, journalist James Benge told Inside Arsenal (h/t TBR):
"[West Ham United technical director] Tim Steidten has had Nelson on the list for a long time. And when [Julen] Lopetegui was at Wolverhampton Wanderers, there were conversations about him going there... so I think that one will happen."
Now, transfer insider Alex Crook has suggested that Nelson is eager to depart the north London outfit this summer. He told talkSPORT (h/t TBR):
"Reiss Nelson is desperately trying to get away. I think West Ham are a potential destination for him."
Should Nelson opt to join West Ham United ahead of the upcoming term, he would emerge as a vital squad player for them. He would offer competition to both Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus in wide roles.
29-year-old reflects on time at Arsenal
Speaking to French publication L'Equipe, Nicolas Pepe suggested that his Arsenal stint forced him to contemplate retiring from football. The 29-year-old winger said (h/t Mirror):
"It was almost harassment. I don't look at social media much, but if my brother told me, 'This is what they said about you', it would affect me unconsciously. It also came from the media or from certain members of the club. They don't realise that it can affect the mental state, the family and it affects performance."
Pepe, who is a free agent after the end of his Trabzonspor deal, added:
"The only people who have always supported me are the Arsenal fans. At Arsenal, I suffered a kind of trauma, as if my passion had been ripped away from me, I had a disgust for football. I doubted myself to the point that I thought about quitting everything."
After arriving from LOSC Lille for £72 million in 2019, Pepe recorded 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 games in all competitions for the Gunners.
Last season, Pepe found the back of the net six times and registered three assists in 23 appearances, including 14 starts, for Trabzonspor.