Reiss Nelson

Reiss Luke Nelson (born 10 December 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Brentford, on loan from Arsenal.

Born in London, Nelson joined Arsenal's academy when he was nine years old and gradually made his way to the first-team, regularly playing above his age group. He made his Arsenal debut in the 2017 FA Community Shield before leaving the club on loan in search of first-team football. After gaining experience at German side TSG Hoffenheim during the 2018–19 season, he returned to Arsenal where new manager Mikel Arteta used Nelson sparingly due to injury. He then moved to the Netherlands on loan at Feyenoord where he made a positive impact on their season and received more first-team action. Nelson joined Fulham on loan for the duration of the 2024–25 season.

Nelson has represented England with every youth international team since debuting for the under-16's in November 2014. He has played in several youth UEFA European Championships, and he was selected in the 2016 under-17 edition's Team of the Tournament for his performances in England's quarter-final finish.

Nelson was born in Elephant and Castle, South London, England. He is of Jamaican descent through his mother. He grew up in the Aylesbury Estate in Walworth and attended the London Nautical School, which trains young men from Inner London, often with maritime and sporting backgrounds. Nelson played football at the school in conjunction with his training at Arsenal and still acts as a mentor there. He became friends with fellow aspiring footballer Jadon Sancho, who lived nearby, after they played together in youth tournaments; Nelson and Sancho were among many successful footballers from the Borough of Lambeth and South London at the time, including Tammy Abraham, Ademola Lookman and Tashan Oakley-Boothe. Nelson has described his younger self as a "cheeky chappie" and someone who was "very loud", which he said often led him into trouble. Nelson accredits his mother for his success at youth level, for ensuring he got to training on time and working two jobs to sustain Nelson, his brother and his sister in their youth; he came from a poor family and driving to and from training was often a "big sacrifice".