Declan Rice has sent a message to one of his young Arsenal teammates after he confirmed he’s leaving the club this summer.
There is expected to be a lot of movement at Arsenal in the coming weeks. The Gunners are expected to be active in the summer transfer window, and while incomings will make the most noise, a number of players could leave as well.
One of them has now bid farewell to Arsenal fans, staff and teammates.
Declan Rice reacts after Reuell Walters confirms he’s leaving Arsenal
Arsenal fans received a couple of big updates on Friday.
Mohamed Elneny revealed) that he will be bringing an end to his eight-and-a-half-year stay at the Emirates Stadium when his contract expires this summer.
The Egyptian is Arsenal’s longest-serving player, having joined the club all the way back in January 2016, when Arsene Wenger was still at the club.
After Elneny, another Arsenal player has confirmed he’s leaving – Reuell Walters.
The 19-year-old has been one of Arsenal’s most talented young players for a few years now. He is an ‘amazing‘ talent, one that everyone expected to see break into the first team at some point.
There were even claims that he could go on to become as good as William Saliba.
However, Football London revealed earlier in May that Walters has rejected a contract offer from Arsenal and is set to leave the club this summer.
The teenager has now confirmed his departure on Instagram.
“Thank you to everyone that’s made this part of my career special. It’s been a pleasure playing for this club and I wish you all the best for the future,” he wrote.
Declan Rice replied: “All the best broski! Go do your thing.”
Saliba added: “Good luck!”
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s comments on Reuell Walters are very interesting
Arsenal have one of the best academies in Europe right now.
The Gunners have been producing incredibly talented footballers for years, and young Reuell Walters is definitely one of them.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has played with and against some of the best players in the world over the years. He knows a brilliant talent when he sees one, and his comments on Walters explain why the teenager is so highly rated.
He said in August 2023: “I like so much the centre-back, Reuell. The quality he has, he’s aggressive.
“I swear to God, once he pushed Gabriel Jesus shoulder to shoulder, it’s not easy to push Gabi, yeah. He was confident on the ball after. He kept the ball well. Wow, he impressed me the most.”
Walters’ decision to move on is understandable considering he hasn’t yet made his debut and there isn’t really any space for him in the first team.
However, he is a huge talent and it won’t surprise us at all if he goes on to have a fine career elsewhere.