Ian Wright has leapt to the defence of Eddie Nketiah after the young striker signed a new Arsenal contract.
The Hale End academy graduate appeared to be leaving on a free transfer this summer but he has now signed a long-term deal with the north Londoners whilst veteran frontmen Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have both left this year. Despite scoring five goals in his last seven outings for the Gunners, the club's new no.14 was criticised by some supporters following the announcement of his new deal.
One fan took to Instagram to say: "Not good enough for the number 14. We should have let him go for free that's a waste of time and money."
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However, Arsenal icon Wright was far from pleased with the fan's comment, sending a reply that showed his support for Nketiah. The former England international responded by saying: "What's a number? Why don't you say nothing if you have nothing positive to say to our players?
"You can never call yourself an Arsenal fan with negativity of this nature ? Would you say this to Eddie's face? If not, STFU."
Wright wasn't the only one to defend the 23-year-old, with centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes also taking to social media to back his teammate. The Brazilian defender, who joined the club from Lille in 2020 for around £23million, tweeted: "How can you be so ungrateful! OMG."
Some fans were left bemused by Gabriel's comment but he appeared to clear it up by 'liking' a number of positive replies about Nketiah, suggesting that he was frustrated by some supporters' negativity following Nketiah's announcement.
Despite the questionable backlash online, manager Mikel Arteta shared his delight at tying the prolific striker down to a new contract. The Spaniard told the club's official website: "I’m delighted Eddie is staying with us.
"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."
