Mohamed Elneny, Arsenal’s current longest-serving player, has confirmed that he will be leaving the club this summer after eight-and-a-half years.
The Egyptian midfielder, 31, has been in north London since 2016 but will officially bid farewell to the Gunners when his contract expires at the end of the season.
In a heartfelt video addressed to Arsenal fans on social media, Elneny said on Friday: "Gooners, I'm here today to send you a message, 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'll be in my heart forever.
Thank you Gooner @Arsenal ❤️ pic.twitter.com/CQv9hyNxPp
— Mohamed ELNeny (@ElNennY) May 17, 2024
"I wanted to say how much I love you and how much you mean to me. I will never forget the way you supported me.
"I'm going to see you on Sunday at the Emirates to say goodbye face to face, see you then."
Elneny arrived at Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal from Swiss side FC Basel for a fee of £5million in January 2016, going on to make 161 appearances for the club across all competitions.
An enduringly popular figure at the Emirates even as his playing time waned greatly, he has struggled notably with injury over recent seasons and was handed a fresh one-year contract extension last February despite being limited by a serious knee problem to just eight appearances during the 2022/23 campaign.
This season, Elneny has featured only six times for Mikel Arteta’s title-chasers, making just three substitute appearances in the Premier League and none at all since a very late cameo in the 4-1 home win over Newcastle on February 24.
His only start this term came in the Champions League in December, when he played 62 minutes as part of a much-changed Arsenal side that drew 1-1 away against Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven with progression through to the knockout stages already secured.
Elneny will get the chance to say goodbye to Arsenal fans on Sunday, when they host Everton on the final day of the Premier League season hoping for a win and a slip-up from leaders and defending champions Manchester City at home to West Ham that would see them claim a first title for two decades.
