West Ham can now sign ex-Arsenal star for £0 | OneFootball

West Ham can now sign ex-Arsenal star for £0 | OneFootball

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·28 August 2026

West Ham can now sign ex-Arsenal star for £0

Article image:West Ham can now sign ex-Arsenal star for £0

West Ham target Reiss Nelson has terminated his contract with Arsenal, which means he is available on a free transfer.

West Ham target Reiss Nelson has agreed to terminate his contract with Arsenal, so he is currently a free agent ahead of deciding his next move.


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The 26-year-old came through the ranks with the Gunners, and he made 90 appearances for the Premier League champions.

However, he failed to truly establish himself as a regular for Arsenal, with Nelson having had various loan spells over the years at Hoffenheim, Feyenoord, Fulham, and, most recently, Brentford.

Article image:West Ham can now sign ex-Arsenal star for £0

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Reiss Nelson leaves Arsenal amid West Ham transfer interest

But, his time with the Bees last season was impacted by injury, and the attacker returned to Arsenal for pre-season, but a summer move was always on the cards, as he was way down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta.

It’s no secret that West Ham were in talks to sign Nelson, but David Ornstein has confirmed that the player has now mutually terminated his contract with Arsenal, 12 months before it was due to expire.

Therefore, the Hammers, or any other interested club, won’t need to agree a fee for Nelson, as he is available on a free.

As well as that, there is no major rush to get Nelson signed by the 11pm deadline on September 1, as clubs are allowed to sign free agents outside of the window.

Interestingly, the update claims that Nelson will now ‘thoroughly assess his options’, with interest from ‘England and overseas’, which would indicate that no transfer is imminent.

West Ham must consider Reiss Nelson transfer move

The reality is that Nelson wasn’t going to command a huge fee anyway, so this doesn’t change much, as Arsenal would’ve been looking to remove him from the books, which they have now done.

So, from West Ham’s perspective, you would expect them to still be in talks with Nelson, and, as outlined above, there’s now no panicking about getting this done by 11pm on Tuesday night.

Article image:West Ham can now sign ex-Arsenal star for £0

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When you consider the amount of business that the Irons would expect to do in that period, that’s probably a relief, but they still won’t want to miss out on Nelson.

He may not have the best record over the years, but with Jarrod Bowen and Manor Solomon in the squad, West Ham aren’t in a position where they need a winger to come in and play every week.

Instead, they want a squad player, which Nelson would be, and his pace and direct style, combined with his ability to play down both flanks, mean he ticks a lot of boxes.

Clearly, there is rival interest for his signature, which you would expect, so there’s no guarantee that West Ham will be able to convince the player to join. And, they must not overpay in terms of wages, as there are others out there that could help Nuno Espirito’s squad as well.

This will be one to monitor, and even though it doesn’t need to be finalised before the deadline, a quick resolution would benefit West Ham

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