Former Arsenal wonderkid has contract terminated

Former Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem has seen his career take another difficult turn after being released by Dutch second division side FC Den Bosch.

At 27, the once highly-touted midfielder finds himself at a crossroads again after his contract was terminated by mutual agreement at the end of August. Zelalem, who was once compared to Cesc Fàbregas, now faces the challenge of finding a new club to revive his career.

Gedion Zelalem joined Arsenal as a teenager in 2013, after being scouted while playing in the USA. His talent was immediately recognised, and he was quickly taken on a first-team pre-season tour by Arsène Wenger.

There was immense hope around the youngster, but injuries and personal setbacks have marred his career ever since.

Although he made only four appearances for Arsenal, he was frequently spoken of as one of the club’s brightest young prospects but that early promise was stifled by a series injuries.

In the 2015/16 season, he was loaned to Rangers, where he made 28 appearances and helped the Scottish side secure promotion to the top flight. He then joined VVV-Venlo in the Netherlands, but injury struck, limiting him to just eight appearances.

His biggest setback came in 2017, when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for the USA in the FIFA U20 World Cup. The injury kept him sidelined for 18 months and changed the trajectory of his career.

Reflecting on his time at Arsenal and the impact of that injury, Zelalem told The Athletic earlier this year: “I still think if I hadn’t got my anterior cruciate ligament injury, things would have gone differently at Arsenal. I was out for six months, but then I needed another surgery and was out for over 400 days. The worst part was I was nowhere near myself for two or three years.”

The knee injury proved a turning point, and his time at Arsenal came to an end in 2019.

Zelalem was released by the club and moved to the USA, where he signed for Sporting Kansas City in MLS.

However, his time there was short-lived, making only seven appearances before being released again. He then signed for New York City FC, where he made 24 appearances over two years as injuries continued to hamper his progress.

“Not being as nimble as I was was hard to take because I was always one of the best players on my team,” Zelalem said, reflecting on the combination of physical and emotional challenges. “To go from that to not being that guy was really difficult. I never got rhythm and playing time, so I could never truly get match fit.”

Personal tragedy then struck in 2018 when Zelalem’s sister died in a car accident in Ethiopia. This compounded the difficulties the midfielder was already facing in his career.

In January 2023, Zelalem joined FC Den Bosch, linking up with Arsenal loanee Nikolaj Moller and former scout Yousuf Sajjad, who had become the club’s technical director.

Den Bosch saw potential in Zelalem, initially signing him on a contract until 2024 with an option to extend, hoping to add depth to their midfield.

Sajjad, speaking at the time of the signing, said: “Gedion is a player that adds quality and experience in several areas. Gedion has already played in the Netherlands when he was loaned out by Arsenal at a young age. From that point on he has continued to develop himself as a person and as a player.”

Despite showing some promise, Zelalem’s time at Den Bosch didn’t go as planned. He made 38 appearances for the club, but as a new management structure took over, Zelalem found himself out of favour.

On terminating his contract, Den Bosch’s new technical director Bernard Schuiteman explained, “Yesterday, we reached an agreement with Gedion to terminate his contract. That is the best for him and for FC Den Bosch, because Gedion did not fit into our plans for the A-selection. That is a pity, because under the previous technical management his contract was extended in the meantime and he was one of the intended key players for the future.”

Schuiteman added that while the situation was unfortunate, Zelalem handled it with professionalism. “With new people come new ideas and in Gedion’s position that has led to different choices. That is a pity from a human point of view, but Gedion, who has been around professional football for a long time, knows how it works. He has also dealt with this disappointing situation in an extremely professional manner.”

With his contract terminated, Zelalem now finds himself searching for a new club.

Despite the setbacks, his value has risen to €300,000, double what it was during his time in MLS, offering a glimmer of hope that he can still find a club willing to invest in his talents.

Schuiteman expressed hope that Zelalem would find success elsewhere, saying, “We hope that Gedion will soon get that chance in a team where he fits better. We wish him every success and thank him for his commitment to FC Den Bosch.”

For a player once regarded as one of Arsenal’s brightest young talents, Zelalem’s career has taken unexpected turns, many of which were out of his hands.

Now, at 27, he faces the challenge of finding a club where he can rediscover his form and rhythm, while the football world watches to see if he can finally realise the potential he once showed at Arsenal.