Miguel Azeez left Arsenal feeling totally dejected in January after Per Mertesacker said he would not help him find another club
|Arsenal academy graduate Miguel Azeez left the club ‘feeling totally dejected’ in January after Per Mertesacker said he would not help him find another club, according to Jeorge Bird.
The 21-year-old joined Spanish third-division club Atletico Baleares on the last day of the winter transfer window, ending his 13-year association with the Gunners.
Azeez made his first-team debut against Dundalk in the Europa League in December 2020 but struggled to break into the senior side, spending last term on loan at UD Ibiza and Wigan Athletic.
Arsenal offered the midfielder a contract extension last year, but he turned it down as he was far from convinced that he would receive enough opportunities under manager Mikel Arteta.
An inside source told Bird that Gunners academy manager Mertesacker said he would not help Azeez find another club due to him having not extended his contract by another year.
It appears that the former England youth international was very disappointed with the decision of the German.
“Azeez went into Arsenal’s London Colney training ground before the transfer window shut and put all his possessions in one big black bag as he left the club feeling totally dejected,” the Arsenal youth journalist wrote on his blog.
Gunners supporters were expecting the youngster to be the next to follow the likes of Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah into the senior team set-up, but things did not work out as everyone anticipated.
The loan spells failed to get the best out of Azeez, with several managerial changes affecting his chances.
The midfielder will be desperate to prove Arsenal wrong, and while Mertesacker could have done better by using his contacts and connections to help the academy graduate seal a move to another Championship club, it appears the German was far from pleased with his decision not to sign an extension.
The gulf between youth and first-team football is huge, and while Azeez is talented, the onus is now on him to prove that he has what it takes to play for a big club after a disappointing end to his Arsenal career.