What Arsene Wenger said about Reiss Nelson as Arsenal man set for West Ham decision
Arsene Wenger was a big fan of West Ham target Reiss Nelson.
The 26-year-old has emerged as a potential signing for the Hammers as they look to reinforce their attack.
Nelson has been with Arsenal since the age of eight, making 90 appearances for his boyhood club.
Wenger managed him 16 times in all competitions, and kept an eye on his development before that.
The legendary French manager has already provided a glowing reference for Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
What did Arsene Wenger say about as West Ham in talks?
West Ham are understood to be in talks with their London rivals over the structure of a deal.
The Irons are waiting on the player to make a decision on whether he wants to drop down to the Championship, per The Athletic.
Wenger adored the winger in his time in the dugout and praised him after a man of the match performance in pre-season against Sydney FC in 2017.
He said: "Since I've been in the game I've understood that you either have that [confidence] at 17 years of age or you don't.
"Some of the players I've had in my career have turned 18 and it seems natural for them to be on the pitch. They just think 'let's play', and Reiss behaves like that."
What do Nelson's numbers say about a possible West Ham move?
Nelson's time with Brentford was not the most successful in terms of returns, he notched one assist in 10 matches.
He recorded five shots for a total of 0.71 expected goals in his time at the Gtech Community Stadium.
However, we have to look beyond that, to see what kind of impact he could make at the London Stadium.
His numbers at Fulham in the previous season are more encouraging, as he averaged 2.21 shots and 2.40 chances created on a per 90 basis, according to Fotmob data.
In his stint at Craven Cottage, he completed 39.1 per cent of cross attempts and also had 6.64 touches in the opposition box per game.
That suggests that he can be very effective with the E20 side, if they can put him in the optimal position on the pitch, and get him fit and firing.
Clearly he did not have the right conditions to thrive under Keith Andrews, but under Nuno in the second tier, it could be a totally different story.
Hammers fans will hope that is the case if the deal happens, and discussions have a positive outcome.