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Arsenal as a football club are going through a change in tradition and a change in philosophy. Under new manager Mikel Arteta, the message to the fan-base has been clear: "Trust the process." However, Arsenal as a brand are still going strong and thanks to their rich legacy, fans proudly associate themselves with the club.
Evidently, the club's management wants to focus on nurturing raw and promising talent to produce future stars. The Arsenal faithful, however, would like to see more world-class and ready-made players wear their jerseys. After all, everyone knows how beneficial the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi can be for a club.
Arsenal have over 20 million followers on Instagram
With over 20 million followers on their official Instagram account, Arsenal have a huge social media presence. Over the years, several players have also benefitted in terms of gaining popularity online through Arsenal.
During their time at Arsenal, these players have grown into global sensations, gaining a huge following on popular social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Although not all of them remain at the club, there are still several others who deserve a shout out on this list.
On that note, here's a look at five of the most followed Arsenal stars on Instagram:
#5 Bukayo Saka - 2.4 million
It wouldn't be a shock to see Bukayo Saka emerge as the most followed Arsenal player on Instagram in a couple of years if he continues his meteoric rise. At just 20, Saka has become the brightest spark in Arsenal's squad and also garnered praise from England manager Gareth Southgate.
The Arsenal starlet's current Instagram following stands at 2.4 million. A majority of those could be Arsenal supporters, but plenty of love has been showered on him throughout England.
Saka was racially abused along with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho on the night of the Euro 2020 final, due to their missed penalties. The outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming since, especially for Saka.
The Arsenal man has shown that he's an avid learner and has proven his versatality by playing in right-wing and left-back positions. In his latest showing for England in a World Cup Qualifier game against Andorra, Saka scored and assisted a goal.
#4 Alexandre Lacazette - 3 million
Alexandre Lacazette is among the few senior players at the club right now who Mikel Arteta believes should have a positive impact on the players. Playing time has been hard to come by for the Arsenal No.9 this season in the Premier League.
Lacazette is usually seen as a jolly and cheerful fellow in the Arsenal camp who enjoys great relations with his team-mates. The Frenchman has a follower count of 3 million on Instagram. His current contract with the north London club is set to expire next year.
With young strikers like Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun waiting for their opportunities, Lacazette is likely to leave for a free next summer. He was bought for a then club-record fee of £52.7m in 2017. In his four years at Arsenal, the French centre-forward has made 173 appearances for the club and scored 67 goals.
#3 Martin Ødegaard - 3.1 million
Arsenal were eager to add a midfielder to their ranks who could be as solid while helping the team defend as he is while supplying cutting edge passes. Last year, they narrowed down to Martin Ødegaard, who they initially brought in on loan from Real Madrid.
The Norwegian's move was made permanent this season for a fee in the region of £30m from Real Madrid. He has signed a contract that will keep him in north London for five years. Arsenal are positive that he will go on to become one of the club's biggest assets, with Odegaard already making an impression.
Ødegaard's current following on Instagram is 3.1 million. When he first emerged on the scenes of Spanish football with Madrid, he was deemed "the next big thing" in Europe. The midfielder became the youngest player to represent his country's national team at just 15 years and 253 days.
He is currently the captain of Norway and has shown astute leadership skills. Mikel Arteta trusts Arsenal's new No.8 to become one of the leading figures at the club in the years to come. He is seen as a probable future captain for Arsenal alongside Kieran Tierney.
#2 Mohamed Elneny - 4.1 million
Probably a bit of a surprise at number two. Mohamed Elneny has never quite been the first name on Arsenal's team sheet. To his credit, Elneny has put in some decent displays as a backup and sometimes as a partner to Granit Xhaka.
The Egyptian was close to leaving Arsenal this summer with Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Besiktas both interested. However, Besiktas settled for Barcelona's Miralem Pjanic and a transfer fee couldn't be agreed with Galatasaray.
The midfielder is currently being followed by 4.1 million people on Instagram. Last season, after making a return from a loan spell with Besiktas, Elneny played 41 games for Arsenal across all competitions. He was more progressive with the ball and also scored three goals.
One of the reasons why Mikel Arteta decided to keep Elneny is to provide some depth to the squad. With no European football to play, a smart rotation of players could see Arsenal back in the top-six, if not the top-four.
#1 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 10.1 million
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the most followed Arsenal player on Instagram. He has a total of 10.1 million followers, a tally that is half that of Arsenal's official Instagram account. Aubameyang can be seen changing his hairstyle frequently and has a dapper sense of fashion.
He usually keeps his Instagram audience engaged with fun moments from behind the scenes at Arsenal and in his life. Aubameyang renewed his contract with Arsenal last year, which now earns him a whopping £350,000-a-week. That huge sum has allowed the striker to maintain an envious car collection which includes the Lamborghinis, the Ferraris and the Aston Martins among others.
The Gabonese striker went through a dip in form that saw him score only 10 goals in the Premier League last season. He has managed to score two goals in five league games so far this season, and his recent performance in the North London derby was a big positive for Arsenal.
