Brentford have officially confirmed that Reiss Nelson has returned to Arsenal following the conclusion of his season-long loan spell with the club.
The 26-year-old endured a difficult campaign hampered by injuries, which restricted him to just 14 appearances for Keith Andrews’ side.
Brentford had held an option to make the move permanent, contingent on Nelson sufficiently impressing Bees boss Andrews during the loan period.
The midfielder had featured just once for Arsenal the previous season before initially joining Fulham on a temporary basis.
Nelson is an Arsenal academy graduate who is now entering the final year of his contract, with the Gunners understood to be seeking a sale.
His homegrown status means any transfer fee received would represent pure profit, providing a welcome boost for Arsenal’s compliance with profit and sustainability rules.
Brentford issued a statement on social media confirming his departure, which read: “Reiss Nelson has returned to Arsenal following the conclusion of his season-long loan deal. We thank Reiss for his contribution to a good season for the club, and wish him well in everything he goes on to in the future.”
Brentford director of football Phil Giles also spoke about Nelson’s time at the club, saying: “Reiss came at the end of last summer’s transfer window having not played significant minutes since December 2024 while on loan at Fulham.”
Giles added: “Whilst I’m sure he would’ve preferred more Premier League minutes with us during the loan, he has nevertheless made a good contribution with his positivity, attitude and experience around training and matchdays, and leaves us in a better place physically then when he joined.”
Persistent injuries have been the biggest obstacle to Nelson’s development throughout his early to mid-20s, including surgery during his loan spell at Fulham.
The Portuguese coach at Fulham, Marco Silva, was described as very fond of Nelson and had been a key driver behind their interest in signing him last summer.
Nelson ultimately moved to Brentford instead and now faces an uncertain future ahead of the summer transfer window opening on June 15.
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has previously stated his belief that Nelson could reach “the next level,” with the player recording 90 first-team appearances for the Gunners, scoring eight goals and providing nine assists.
Arteta said previously: “We think the potential is there and we think we’ve seen something in Reiss that is special. He’s been a part of our academy system and now he’s going to have an opportunity.”
Arteta continued: “His attitude and the way he’s matured and evolved over the past year or so has been really impressive, I think everybody is talking about it and now he needs to do it on the pitch.”
