After all the talk of bright young prospects leaving Arsenal – and indeed other top Premier League sides – for the chance to make it in Europe Reiss Nelson’s confirmation that he plans to sign an extension is a major victory for the Gunners.

As Standard Sport reported last month, Nelson is prepared to reject the lure of some of the continent’s top sides and put pen to paper on an extension to a deal due to expire in the summer of 2019.

The best of the best will soon be locked up, with Nelson following on from Eddie Nketiah who signed an extension of his own in December. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is also expected to be handed improved terms in the coming months.

But it is Nelson’s eventual extension that will provide the biggest salve for the Arsenal hierarchy, not least because of the array of clubs who were waiting in the wings, keen to follow in the footsteps of their European rivals and snare a top English academy product on the cheap.

Though neither were necessarily guaranteed a step up to the first team the departures of Chris Willock and Marcus McGuane to Benfica and Barcelona inevitably brought questions about the Arsenal youth setup. Was there a problem in talent identification if those who were struggling to make Arsene Wenger’s squad were being snared by continental giants?

B team midfielder McGuane has already made his debut for the Blaugrana – albeit in the Catalan Cup – and has sufficiently impressed the hierarchy at Camp Nou that he is expected to join Ernesto Valverde’s first-team in pre-season training this summer.

Similarly the calibre of suitors for Nelson is in itself a ringing endorsement of his quality. Several of the continent’s finest clubs took a keen interest. Real Madrid and Monaco were at the head of the queue but in truth they were always at a disadvantage against the Elephant and Castle native’s boyhood club.

“All the hard work is paying off so I’m really happy and excited to push on even further,” Nelson said after making his long awaited first Premier League start in a 3-2 win over Southampton.

“I just treated it as a normal game and I think that’s the best thing to do. Being involved with the first team, be it in the Premier League or the Europa League, you just have to take it as it comes. You keep all the nerves inside and just play your normal game.”

The sense was perhaps that Nelson had not blown anyone away in the hour he managed before being replaced by Jack Wilshere, perhaps not a surprise as he found himself thrown into a makeshift frontline with Wenger resting so many of his key players ahead of the Europa League quarter-final second leg at CSKA Moscow.

There were flashes of the audacity that has made the 18-year-old a joy to watch in the Arsenal youth teams, most notably taking three Southampton defenders out of the game with an impertinent backheel that, via Mohamed Elneny’s pass, would allow Granit Xhaka to draw an excellent save from Alex McCarthy.

Wenger is convinced there is more to come.

“I felt that he has shown that technically he has the level,” he told the club website after the game. “He worked very hard for the team.

“On the other side, we know people who watch the youth team a lot know that Reiss Nelson has a lot more in the locker to go one against one and take people on. On that front, he was a bit not completely himself today.

“It’s natural [to be inhibited], yes. Suddenly you have an opponent who is more aggressive, quicker and you want to pass him. Believe me he [can] because he does that against players in training. It’s the first opportunity for him and I think he hasn’t missed it.”

Nelson’s future appears clear. With his potential new deal - and the backing of Wenger, who has taken a particularly keen interest in his development - the 18-year-old from Elephant and Castle looks well set to play a major role at Arsenal for years to come.