Arsenal have agreed a deal with Reiss Nelson to terminate his contract ahead of Monday's transfer deadline. The Gunners have opted to forgo a transfer fee for the winger, who can now join a new club as a free agent.
Nelson had been in talks with West Ham earlier in the summer but the Championship side didn't agree a deal for the 26-year-old. He had entered the final year of his deal at the Emirates and Arsenal have decided to cut their losses.
Career at Arsenal
The academy graduate was not in Mikel Arteta's first-team plans after spending last season on loan at Brentford. He leaves after making just 90 appearances, with eight goals and nine assists, since his debut in August 2017.
His Arsenal career never took off, with time spent on loan at Hoffenheim, Feyenoord, Fulham and Brentford. The winger made just 13 appearances in all competitions for the Bees last season, with injuries holding him back.
More exits expected
Nelson's departure is the first of what Arsenal hope will be four before Monday's 11pm transfer deadline. Gabriel Martinelli is poised to join Al-Hilal for a club-record £50million fee, while Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira are both on the transfer list.
All three players have been frozen out of the first-team set-up by Arteta, who is still hoping to welcome Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez in the coming days.
Jesus has been linked with a move to Napoli, but the deal failed to materialise. He was absent from training on Thursday with the Gunners working hard to find a buyer after he entered the final year of his contract. Vieira spent last season on loan with Hamburg, who are now negotiating a permanent move.
Arteta on squad decisions
During Thursday's press conference, Arteta was asked about how difficult it was to tell players they no longer feature in his plans. "I mean, try to be as clear and as transparent as possible, you know," he said. "And try to deliver the message as it is. And they know from what place that message is coming."
"So, yeah, if I give a player through six years 500 great messages and one day I have to give him a message that maybe it's not that good, I think the proportion is quite good."
"So, I expect that they value the things that they've done for the club or for myself. If it's 499 to 1, certainly that one is going to pay so little in the way I feel about a player."
Asked if he was satisfied with his squad, Arteta said: "Today I'm satisfied. I hope that when it closes I am even more satisfied because I will be even more convinced that the team has had a great performance against Villa and won the game and we are in the best possible scenario."
