Arsenal 21yo released early as his agent hits out at critics

Catalin Cirjan has been released from his Arsenal contract a year early, with his agent hitting out at his critics after the news broke.

On Monday, Arsenal confirmed that Catalin Cirjan is among 22 players who will be released on June 30th, but the midfielder’s case was relatively unique among the list.

Whilst the likes of Mohamed Elneny, Cedric Soares, and Arthur Okonkwo are all departing at the end of their contracts, Cirjan still had a deal with Arsenal until 2025.

Player and club decided to part ways a year early, likely to allow the 21-year-old the freedom to pick his next club and kickstart his senior career.

For the most part, it seems to be an amicable departure, with Cirjan posting a grateful farewell message on Instagram.

“Thanks, Arsenal,” Cirjan wrote. “I joined the club as a kid and I left like a man! I have the best memories but I went through some very tough situations like my injuries.

“I fell but I always came back better and stronger, but I couldn’t do all of this without the help and support from all the staff and players.

“I was so lucky to be able to play and learn from some of the best players in the world and the best coaches. Now it’s time to move on and start a new chapter in my career!”

Yet the news seemingly received a mixed response back in Romania, with Cirjan’s agent Catalin Sarmasan hitting out at those who seem determined to celebrate the player’s failings as much as his successes.

“The news that Arsenal and Catalin Cirjan decided to go their separate ways, even though there is still a year of contract, has triggered a general hysteria among Romanians with black souls,” Sarmasan wrote on Facebook.

“There was not so much joy even when the Gunners signed Catalin.

“‘Brothers, we won, Cirjan failed to replace Odegaard at Arsenal! Now we are happy, we were afraid he would succeed and he would show us how mediocre we are,’ thought the ‘deserving ones’.

“What the happiness of today did not take into account is that this boy of only 21 years old, on whose arm the armband of the U23 team of one of the most prestigious football academies in the world stood, fell and got up more times than they graduated a form of education that allows them to judge a child with total respect towards his work. And he will do it again, and again.

“Your story is not finished, Catalin! It has only just begun, and bad people were also needed, so you can appreciate the good ones more.

“Those of us who know you, know what you are capable of and we also know that a year less good does not mean a failed career or a lost life.”

Cirjan spent the 2023/24 season on loan with FC Rapid back in his home country of Romania, making 19 appearances for the side.

The youngster made 36 appearances for the Arsenal u23s, featuring on the bench for the first team on four occasions in 2022/23.