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Brentford head coach Keith Andrews has confirmed Reiss Nelson will have some involvement against Chelsea after joining on loan from Arsenal on transfer deadline day.
The Bees host Chelsea on Saturday night, and Nelson is in line to debut for a third Premier League club. He has made 90 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners, but just one of those was last season.
That is because Nelson spent the campaign at Fulham. The winger featured a dozen times before sustaining a hamstring injury in December, and then two months later, required surgery on another issue in his other hamstring.
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Nelson featured twice as a substitute for Arsenal during their pre-season tour across East Asia, but did not make any of their Premier League matchday squads. After the Gunners signed Eberechi Eze, a late move to Brentford materialised.
Andrews has now spoken highly of the club's new signing. "He's a very talented young man who's been around for a good few years and played a decent amount of games at Arsenal," the Brentford head coach said during his pre-match press conference. "He's had loan moves abroad and was at Fulham last year.
"He's a type of player we don't really have on that side of the pitch; a dribbler, technically very good, and he complements what we have in Kevin Schade, [Igor] Thiago, Fabio [Carvalho], [Mikkel] Damsgaard and Dango [Ouattara]. He's slotted in seamlessly to the group."
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Nelson's arrival was also well-received by Andrews at the time. "Reiss has a skillset that will complement the rest of the attacking players we have. He's a dribbler, and he's very comfortable with the ball at his feet," the Bees coach said in their statement announcing the signing.
"I really like his Premier League experience and know-how of the league, as well as his age profile. He's coming into the optimum years of his career, and he's shown a real desire to come here when there's been a lot of interest elsewhere."
After signing, Nelson said, "I can't wait to get going. It's a big platform for me to express myself, and that's what I need right now.
"I wanted to go to a club where I know I'm going to play regularly; I know there's competition for places, but I'm going to train hard and show myself that I can get the minutes I deserve."
Nelson added, "I'm a player who expresses myself. I want the fans to go away thinking about a goal, an assist, or something exciting I'd done.
"I'm very passionate. It might only be a loan, but I'm going to care for the club like it's my own. I'm excited to get out there in front of the fans."
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