FORMER Arsenal defender Zech Medley is set to become unemployed after Belgian side KV Oostende dissolve.

The 23-year-old joined the club for £150k in 2021.

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But things went from bad to worse after his team were relegated from the Belgian top-flight at the end of the 2022/2023 season.

Now Medley is on the lookout for a new club after KV Oostende declared bankruptcy last month.

The former Arsenal ace and academy graduate played 25 times this season in the Challenger Pro League, scoring once.

In total, Medley has made 66 appearances in three seasons in Belgium.

Arsenal reportedly insisted on both a sell-on clause as part of the deal as well as having first option on the player if he leaves Oostende.

Despite points deductions due to financial mismanagement, the players managed to avoid relegation from the Belgian second tier.

However, this seems to have all been for nothing, as the club looks like it will cease to exist.

The Pacific Media Group’s (PMG) owners have attempted to sell the club, but the only takeover proposal fell through last week.

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KV Oostende had to submit an incomplete license application because of their financial problems.

Without a license, the Belgian side will drop to the second amateur class, but are unable to pay off the large debt burden there.

PMG acquired shares in Barnsley in December 2017 and now own around a 40 per cent stake.

But co-founders Paul Conway and Chien Lee were voted off the board following relegation to League One in the summer.

Elsewhere, Medley moved to Arsenal from Chelsea in 2016.

After impressing for their youth teams, he was handed a senior debut in the 2018/19 Europa League campaign against Vorskla Poltava.

He joined Gillingham on a season-long loan in 2020.

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