'WHAT A JOKE!' - Arsenal fans vent fury at club over David Luiz contract decision

James Westwood

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'WHAT A JOKE!' - Arsenal fans vent fury at club over David Luiz contract decision image

Arsenal fans have vented their fury over the club's decision to extend David Luiz's contract at Emirates Stadium.

Luiz completed an £8 million move to Arsenal from Chelsea last summer, and has since made 33 appearances across all competitions for the club, scoring twice.

The Brazilian has been a regular in the Gunners' starting line-up although has been guilty of making various high-profile errors that have cost the north Londoners.

The 33-year-old's latest nightmare display came during Arsenal's first game back following the three-month break in the season caused by coronavirus last Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta's men suffered a 3-0 defeat away at Manchester City, with Luiz gifting the home side the lead after coming on for the injured Pablo Mari midway through the first half.

His failure to deal with a Kevin De Bruyne through ball allowed Raheem Sterling to steal in and open the scoring, and his night got even worse five minutes after the interval.

Luiz was dismissed for bringing down Riyad Mahrez as he raced through on goal, and De Bruyne doubled City's lead from the resulting penalty.

The defender took full responsibility for the loss post-match, but also expressed his desire to remain at Arsenal beyond the expiration of his contract - which was due to run until end of the month.

Despite his erratic style of play and unpopularity among some supporters, the Gunners officially tied Luiz down to a fresh one-year deal on Wednesday, while also announcing permanent contracts for Cedric Soares and Mari.

And many Arsenal fans have reacted angrily to the news on social media, with one disgruntled follower of the club's Twitter account writing "WHAT A JOKE".

Arteta's side lost 2-1 to Brighton in Luiz's absence on Saturday, and will also be without the enigmatic centre-back when they travel to St Mary's to take on Southampton on Thursday.

The former Chelsea star will be available for selection again three days later when the Gunners face Sheffield United, but there is likely to be plenty more opposition to his continued presence in the squad between now and then.

Check out some more comments from fans bemused by Luiz's new contract below.

James Westwood