Gabriel Magalhaes appears to have taken a swipe at Arsenal supporters who greeted confirmation of Eddie Nketiah’s new contract with negative reactions.
The youngster has committed his long-term future to his boyhood team having, at one stage, appeared certain to leave the club as a free agent.
Nketiah struggled to gain enough first team chances last campaign, even after the exit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January transfer window.
After Alexandre Lacazette contracted Covid, Mikel Arteta had no option but to rely on Nketiah and England’s record goalscorer at Under-21 level grasped the chance with both hands.
Nketiah nearly signed for Crystal Palace last summer and had been interesting clubs like West Ham and Brighton, but has now completed a major transformation by signing a lucrative contract and inheriting Arsenal’s No.14 shirt.
The reaction to the Nketiah announcement was far from euphoric, however, with many supporters waiting for news relating to their pursuit of Man City striker Gabriel Jesus.
Responding to the negativity on Twitter immediately after news broke, Gabriel wrote ‘How can you be so ungrateful OMG,’ before liking a tweet which read ‘Don’t be fooled by the loud haters. Plenty of us are happy with the contract extension and don’t mind the shirt number.’
Arteta, meanwhile, is thrilled to have retained the services of a player who led the line with distinction towards the end of last campaign, particularly in wins over Man United, Chelsea and Leeds.
‘I’m delighted Eddie is staying with us,’ said Arteta. ‘He represents what we are all about and all the values of the club.
‘We are very happy that he has extended his contract and now we have to get to work and continue to develop the great talent and person that we have in him.’
