“No one sees how hard he works behind the scenes” – Bukayo Saka reserves special praise for ‘unlucky’ Arsenal teammate

Bukayo Saka recently showered praise on Arsenal teammate Reiss Nelson for his work ethic. Nelson looked set to leave the Gunners at the end of the 2022-23 season, but signed a four-year extension in July.

Nelson is an Arsenal academy graduate and has made 66 appearances for senior team across competitions, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists.

Saka lauded his teammate, telling ESPN:

“I am happy every time I see one of my boys do well – Reiss Nelson, the winner [against Bournemouth]. I am so happy for him, that moment. He deserved it. No one sees how hard he works behind the scenes and he has been unlucky with some injuries. I hope he can kick on from there."

The 21-year-old English winger added:

“Eddie as well; Emile — I hope we can continue to make an impact because we all love this club.”

Nelson made 18 appearances across competitions last season, scoring three goals and providing three assists. A spectacular last-ditch winner against Bournemouth at the Emirates was the highlight of his season. Fans will keep a keen eye on how the player fares in the upcoming campaign.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta paid tribute to Arsene Wenger

Current Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, was a key player for the team and the club captain when Arsene Wenger was in charge at the Emirates. The Spaniard recently paid tribute to his former manager.

Arteta told the club's media how grateful he was to have played under Wenger. He said (via the Gunners' website):

"I’m so grateful to have played for Arsène at this club in my career. He chose me to be one of his players and selected me to be the captain of the club and that's something I will never forget."

Arteta added:

“Towards the end of my playing career, I started to speak with Arsène about going into coaching and management myself, and he told me he had already anticipated that. Even the first year when I got here, he said to me: ‘one day you are going to be a manager’, and I wasn't really thinking about that at that time.”

Since becoming the Arsenal manager, Arteta has implemented his philosophy at the club. He lead the team to a second-placed finish last term and will be looking to win the Premier League this season.