Goalkeeper Matt Macey finds himself without a club, a little over a week after Luke Freeman suffered the same fate.
- Matt Macey‘s contract terminated by Luton, just one season after joining the newly-promoted side.
- Luke Freeman‘s release earlier in the summer points to the precarious paths even once-promising Arsenal youth can face.
Matt Macey: from Arsenal prospect to Luton’s exit list
The 28-year-old goalkeeper, who was at Arsenal for eight years, moved to Luton Town last season, only to find himself omitted from the squad more often than not.
After his £115k transfer from Hibs, who had acquired him on a free transfer from Arsenal in January 2021, Macey made just one appearance for Luton. That game was a 3-2 home defeat against Newport County in the EFL Cup and he never featured again, appearing on the bench just eight times.
Macey’s relegation to a third-choice role culminated in a loan stint at Portsmouth, were he played 21 times with 10 cleansheets and only 15 conceded, before his contract with The Hatters was terminated by mutual consent.
A Luton Town statement expressed the club’s good wishes for Macey’s future career, a sentiment that brings little comfort when one finds himself jobless in such a ruthless industry.
Luke Freeman: a promising Arsenal youth fades away
Before Macey, Luke Freeman was the first ex-Arsenal player to be cut loose by Luton this summer.
Injuries and fluctuating form led to the end of Freeman’s time with the club.
Once touted by Arsene Wenger as an “interesting prospect,” Freeman, too, finds himself navigating the uncertainties that come with a professional football career and, at 31, has yet to find a new club.
Luton fail to sign another former Arsenal player
This summer, Luton were very close to signing former Arsenal youngster, Isaac Hayden, only for the deal to collapse after the Newcastle midfielder had his medical.
The 28-year-old remains with the Magpies but has not seen a minute of action in the new season.
Signed from Arsenal in 2016 for £2.48m, Hayden has played just four times for Eddie Howe, amassing a paltry 169 minutes, although a number of knee injuries have played havoc with his availability since the Spring of 2021.