Arsenal confirm contract termination for 26yo

Arsenal have confirmed that Reiss Nelson has left the club, terminating his contract with immediate effect to become a free agent.

In their statement, the Gunners list Nelson’s achievements with Arsenal, thanking him for his contributions and wishing him and his family well for the future.

There had been talk of a move to West Ham United for a fee of around £3m, but West Ham had been stalling on the deal while they explored other opportunities, and there was no guarantee they were going to go ahead with it.

Indeed, Arsenal opting to cancel Nelson’s contract suggests West Ham weren’t planning to proceed with the move, though it remains to be seen whether they’ll show more of an interest in the signing of the player as a free agent.

David Ornstein had broken the news of Arsenal’s decision to release Nelson prior to the official annoucement, and he reported for The Athletic that the player is attracting interest from clubs both in England and overseas.

Arsenal won’t get a transfer fee for Nelson, despite the fact he had up to two years left on his contract, but they will be able to offload his wages at least.

Nelson made 90 appearances for the Arsenal senior side, having broken through from the club’s youth teams. He won the FA Cup and two Community Shields with the Gunners.