Darikwa makes plea for Arsenal man to switch to the Warriors




London , United Kingdom - 29 October 2020; Reiss Nelson of Arsenal during the UEFA Europa League Group B match between Arsenal and Dundalk at the Emirates Stadium in London, England. (Photo By Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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Nottingham Forest defender Tendayi Darikwa has made a plea to Arsenal star Reiss Nelson to join him in the Zimbabwe ranks, according to On the Whistle.

The Reds defender played the full 90 minutes in both of his country’s recent games against Algeria.

Darikwa now has eight caps for the country he has chosen to represent and wants the Arsenal youngster to join him.

(Photo; James Williamson; AMA; Getty Images)

The Forest right-back plays for the country of his father’s birth, pledging his allegiance back in 2017.

Darikwa has produced some eye-catching performances for Zimbabwe and he’s admitted that Nelson would be a major addition.

He told On the Whistle: “I think it’s a personal decision that someone has to make to switch allegiances or go and represent a certain country.

“We all know how capable Reiss is and how talented he is as a footballer. We welcome him to come and play for our country, we’d love him to come but he needs to make the decision himself.

“He’s played for England at youth level, if he wants to carry on playing for England that’s fine but if he wants to come to play for Zimbabwe, we’ll welcome him together.”

Forest and Arsenal players face similar problems

Interestingly the £15,000-a-week Nelson and Darikwa are facing similar challenges at their respective clubs.

The 20-year-old winger has only played three games this season and hasn’t made the squad for any Premier League game.

Darikwa has made three appearances on the bench for Forest but is yet to get on the pitch.

Arsenal v Dundalk - UEFA Europa League Group B
(Photo; Ben McShane; Sportsfile; Getty Images)

The defender suffered a knee ligament injury that meant he didn’t play a single minute last season.

Darikwa signed for £1 million back in 2017 and has played 63 times for the Reds in total.

He will hope to oust Cyrus Christie and Carl Jenkinson and earn a chance to impress Chris Hughton at some point this season.