Former Arsenal player turned TV pundit Charlie Nicholas has backed Reiss Nelson to be Mesut Ozil’s long-term replacement.

The German has been tipped to leave the Emirates on loan in the January transfer window but Nicholas believes that if the playmaker departs on a permanent basis in the summer, Nelson would be a perfect substitute:

“Arsenal have three or four young kids that have real potential, but this lad has something really exciting about him. When he gets on the ball he makes something happen. I wouldn’t be surprised in six months’ time, if Ozil was to move on, to see this lad adapt and become an Ozil-type player.”

“When he first came on to the scene, they used him as a right winger and sometimes as a wing-back, but I think he’s better than that, I think he should be given more freedom. He can be Arsenal’s new superstar.”

Nelson is currently on loan with Hoffenheim with the 19-year-old having made a big impression during his six months in the Bundesliga.

The attacking midfielder has scored six goals and provided one assist in 19 matches so far this season, although he hasn’t managed a goal since the beginning of November when he scored the winner in a 2-1 win over Augsburg.

Since then, Nelson has been given just one more start by manager Julian Nagelsmann, with Hoffenheim having gone through an astonishing run of six straight draws in the league. The German club currently sit seventh in the league table.