Mohamed Elneny has confirmed his departure from Arsenal with a message on social media, thanking the fans for their support.
Reports earlier this week broke the news that Mohamed Elneny is set to leave Arsenal upon the expiry of his contract this summer, and the player himself has now confirmed the claims in a video on social media.
“Gooners, I’m here today to send you a message,” Elneny said. “To say goodbye, and thank you for everything you’ve done for me. The love, the support, and the kindness.
“I’m really going to miss you so much, and you will be in my heart forever, and I wanted to say how much I love you, and how much you mean to me. I will never forget the way you support me.
“I’m going to see you on Sunday, at the Emirates Stadium, to say goodbye face-to-face.”
Elneny’s departure was relatively predictable, with the player finding minutes hard to come by this season.
The Egypt international has only managed 95 minutes on the pitch for the entire campaign, with one game remaining, and he hasn’t been in an Arsenal squad in the Premier League since February.
Elneny did make the squads against Porto and Bayern in March and April, with the Champions League having extra spaces on the bench. But with most of Mikel Arteta’s squad returning to fitness, there’s been no room for him on league matchdays.
But the 31-year-old leaves Arsenal with 161 appearances under his belt, over the course of eight-and-a-half years.
Brought in under Arsene Wenger, Elneny brought positivity to the dressing room and commitment on the pitch.
As he took on a diminished role under Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta, he never complained, focusing on the task and how he could help his teammates.
Elneny will now take the next step in his football career, leaving Arsenal with an FA Cup trophy and a couple of Community Shields. Perhaps he could even add a Premier League medal this weekend.