End of an 18-year story: Arsenal part ways with their academy graduate
Arsenal's late-window clearout has claimed another name, and this one will sting the fans. A player who spent 18 years at the club is leaving, and no transfer fee will soften the blow.
Details: According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Reiss Nelson has agreed to terminate his Arsenal contract by mutual consent and leaves as a free agent. His deal ran until June 2027 with an option for a further year. Arsenal have officially confirmed the 26-year-old winger's departure.
Nelson is a pure product of the Arsenal academy: he joined the club as a kid, signed his first professional contract in December 2016 and went on to make 90 senior appearances, scoring eight goals and providing nine assists. With the Gunners he won the FA Cup in 2020 and the Community Shield in 2017 and 2020. In recent years, though, his career turned into a string of loans: Hoffenheim in 2018/19, where he scored seven goals in 23 Bundesliga matches, then Feyenoord in 2021/22, Fulham in 2024/25 and Brentford last season, where he managed just 14 appearances. According to The Athletic, the winger is attracting interest from clubs in England and abroad and will assess his options before choosing the next step, while Transfermarkt values him at €8 million. For the reigning Premier League champions this is part of a broader attacking reshuffle: Gabriel Jesus is no longer training with the first team and is also expected to leave before the window closes. Arsenal, who lifted the Community Shield after beating Manchester City earlier this month, visit Aston Villa on Sunday.
The London club will not receive a penny for a player whose contract still had up to two years to run, but they offload his wages and give him the chance to play regularly. It's worth noting that Nelson wrote one of the most dramatic pages of Arsenal's recent history: in March 2023 his strike in the 97th minute sealed a wild 3:2 win over Bournemouth in the heat of the title race.
Reminder: Arteta confirms it! Arsenal forward is leaving the club.
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
