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Arsenal fans have reacted angrily online to the news that Mohamed Elneny has signed a new one-year contract extension at the club.
The 29-year-old's deal was set to expire this summer. However, the Gunners have decided to keep the midfielder at the Emirates Stadium, with the 12-month deal coming with the option of a further year.
Elneny has made 147 appearances for the club since his arrival in 2016 from Basel. He made 17 club appearances this term in all competitions. He played the full 90 minutes in Arsenal's final seven Premier League games due to an injury to first-choice central midfielder Thomas Partey.
The north London club won five of those seven encounters. However, that wasn't enough to claim a Champions League spot as rivals Tottenham pipped Mikel Arteta's side to fourth place.
The Egypt international has clearly impressed enough in the past couple of months to be kept in Mikel Arteta's plans.
The Gunners fans do not seem too impressed by the news though. They took to Twitter to explain why they are unhappy at keeping the defensive-midfielder. Many believe that he is simply not good enough for a Champions League chasing side. Here are some of their reactions:
Mikel Arteta and Edu explain decision to keep Mohamed Elneny at Arsenal
Elneny is one of the Gunners' longest serving players and as a useful backup option. In him, Arteta has clearly decided to keep some experience around a relatively youthful squad.
As per Arsenal's official website, the Spanish boss said following the announcement of Elneny's re-signing:
“Mo is a really important part of the team. He brings endless energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the team and is loved by everyone. He's an important player for us on and off the pitch, a real role model to our younger players and I'm delighted he's staying."
Gunners technical director Edu added:
“Mo has an incredible mentality which is so important for our squad. He helps the team as much as he can every day. We are all very happy to have him with us as we look to build on what has been achieved this season."
Elneny was part of the Arsenal squad that won the 2017 FA Cup. He also helped his team reach the 2019 Europa League final where they ultimately lost to Chelsea in Baku.
The midfielder was shipped out on-loan to Turkish side Besiktas during the 2019-20 season. He played more games in a single season for them (36) than he has during any of his campaigns at the Emirates Stadium.
