Former Gunner finally finds new club after summer release | OneFootball

Former Arsenal academy midfielder James Olayinka has found a new club after being released by Cheltenham Town earlier in 2024.

Photo via WaterfordFC.ie

League of Ireland Premier Division side Waterford FC have announced the signing of former Arsenal midfielder James Olayinka, with the player signing as a free agent.

Following his departure from Arsenal, Olayinka had played in League One with Cheltenham Town for a couple of seasons.

But when Cheltenham were relegated to League Two earlier this year, they confirmed that they were releasing a number of players including Olayinka.

Photo via WaterfordFC.ie

That’s not necessarily a mark against Olayinka’s performances, as lower-league clubs are often forced to release players after relegation to cut costs.

But Olayinka had struggled for consistent minutes with Cheltenham in 2023/24 due to injury, only returning to action towards the end of the campaign. As a result, he didn’t get much of an opportunity to put himself in the shop window ahead of the summer.

To stay fit, the 24-year-old has spent time training with Waterford’s sister club Fleetwood Town in recent months. That seems to have ultimately earned him a contract in Ireland.

Photo via WaterfordFC.ie

“I’m very pleased to get going at Waterford,” Olayinka said. “I’ve had a bit of time out, so it will be good to get back playing and training every day with the squad.

“I’ve been training at Fleetwood just to get back into the swing of things. They’ve been really good with me during the last few weeks. Now I’m ready to back playing competitively week in week out with the Blues.

“I think [my time with Arsenal] will help. Having been around the first team over there, I’ve picked up some good habits and learnt from some really good players, so hopefully I can bring that over here.”