Arsenal let yet another player leave for free as Reiss Nelson terminates contract

Reiss Nelson has left Arsenal on a free transfer after reaching an agreement with the club to terminate his contract.

The winger was expected to leave the Gunners this summer with multiple clubs in England and abroad interested in his services, but the North Londoners reached a decision with the player to end his deal a year early.

The Hale End graduate has brought an end to his 18-year spell with his boyhood club and is yet another player to leave the club for nothing.

🚨 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋: Reiss Nelson has left Arsenal after 18 years. Together with the player, the club agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect for him to become a free agent. ❌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Wishing you the very best in your next chapter, @ReissNelson9! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/v6NrSAQqa5

David Ornstein reported just minutes before Arsenal's official announcement that Nelson was set to leave the club after agreeing an early termination of his contract with the Gunners following suit with a statement.

The official statement read: "We can confirm that Reiss Nelson has left the club.

"Together with Reiss, we agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect for him to become a free agent."

Nelson's deal at the Emirates Stadium ran until 2027, with an option for a further year, but a mutual decision was agreed for it to be cut short. He put pen to paper on the contract in 2023 after almost leaving on a free transfer.

He has attracted interest this summer from clubs both in England and overseas, but it seems nothing came to fruition. West Ham were in talks over a deal earlier in the window and reportedly reached an agreement days ago, but there was clearly no truth to that as he now finds himself unattached following his departure.

Nelson joined Arsenal as a youngster in 2008 and progressed through the academy to make his first team debut in the 2017 Community Shield. He made sporadic appearances under Arsène Wenger before being loaned out to Hoffenheim in Unai Emery's first season.

He received an official promotion to the senior side ahead of the 2019/20 campaign and saw some game time ahead of the Spaniard's departure and in Mikel Arteta's early years. Struggles for regular minutes saw him loaned out to Feyenoord, Fulham and Brentford before his official exit this summer.

The Hale End graduate scored eight goals and provided nine assists in 90 appearances for the Gunners and will always be remembered among the club's fanbase for an iconic performance and strike in a 3-2 win over Bournemouth.

Nelson came off the bench to help his side turn over a two-goal deficit before firing in a last minute winner from the edge of the box against the Cherries in March 2023, a result that at the time kept their lead at the top of the Premier League intact.

As he leaves Arsenal, Nelson becomes yet another player to depart the club on a free transfer, continuing a worrying trend of poor selling by the club, but his exit also sees another big drop in the wage bill.

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