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‘It’s time’: 22-year-old Arsenal player confirms he’s leaving the Gunners
Arsenal academy captain Matt Smith has confirmed on Instagram that he is leaving the club this summer.
The 22-year-old Englishman has been at Arsenal since he was a kid. He was a highly-rated midfielder while coming through the ranks at Hale End, but he never got an opportunity with the first team in a competitive game.
Now, Smith is set to depart, and he has bid farewell to everyone at the club with a message on .
Matt Smith confirms he’s leaving Arsenal
Matt Smith joined Arsenal in May 2009, when he was just eight years old.
The Englishman was a regular in the academy sides growing up. He showed a lot of promise for Arsenal’s youth teams and everyone who watched him felt he had what it takes to make it into the senior setup.
Smith has often been spotted with Arsenal’s first team in training sessions and he has travelled with the squad on pre-season tours over the years as well.
Sadly, he never got to make his debut for the senior side, and he’ll leave without ever playing for his favourite team in a competitive game.
Confirming his exit on Instagram, Smith wrote: “Thank you, Gunners. After 16 years at my boyhood club, it’s time for me to look to the next chapter of my career.
“Along this journey, it would be impossible to name everyone that has added to my time at the club. However, to all the players, staff, and supporters, I can only say thank you and that I am forever grateful. To the fans keep supporting this great club, success is around the corner.
“Once a Gooner, always a Gooner.”
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Matt Smith is just the first of quite a few Arsenal players who will leave this summer.
Young Joel Ideho has also been released, while more popular youngsters Charlie Patino and Folarin Balogun are also expected to leave the club before the end of the summer window.
First-team stars Granit Xhaka, Nicolas Pepe, Rob Holding, Cedric Soares, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are all among the names who are expected to depart as well.
It will be interesting to see where they’ll all end up this summer.