Feyenoord boss Arne Slot as admitted he was hoping for a ‘higher yield’ from Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson this season.
Nelson joined the Dutch side on a season-long loan deal in the summer as he sought out the regular game time that wasn’t on offer at Arsenal.
He barely featured for his new side in the first few months of the deal, with Slot causing something of an uproar when he suggested the player hadn’t arrived fit enough and blamed the Gunners.
The winger has since worked hard to rectify that but has continued to struggle for game time, with just 532 minutes of action to his name.
He’s only managed three starts in the league, and a return of one goal and one assist in 17 games is nothing to write home about either.
By most standards, the loan deal has been a disastrous one, and Slot has admitted he was expecting more, although he does believe the Arsenal man could turn things around.
“You see a lot of skill, speed and agility, but the final push is still missing. Then it’s just not a finish or just not an assist.
“The most difficult thing in football is to get the best out of your play. And if you play for Feyenoord, where you often end up in a promising position as a winger, you expect a higher yield.
“I don’t think he is much of a goal scorer anyway. I don’t see him doing that much in training either, but at Hoffenheim, in the Bundesliga, he scored seven goals. That’s excellent.
“I did notice that against NEC, he looked for his direct opponent when he had the ball, which was lacking in the game with Vitesse. I think Reiss is much more of a preparer than a finisher, and I’m convinced he’ll show he can do better.‘
