Thursday, March 28, 2024

Wenger: Versatile Elneny can help fill midfield gap

Arsene Wenger says that new boy Mohamed Elneny will be well suited to English football, and that the Egyptian can fill a number of roles in the Arsenal midfield.

Signed today from FC Basel, the 23 year old could go straight into the team to face Stoke on Sunday with the midfield area in need of some reinforcement, and the Arsenal manager believes he has the talent to fulfill various duties in there.

“He can be box to box and be a holding midfielder so that is for us very promising,” he told Arsenal Player. “We wanted a versatile player and I wanted a player who can play defensive but can as well play to box to box.

“His strengths are his technical level, his vision, his intelligence, his disciplined attitude and his physical attitude to compete at a high level. I think he has the physical qualities to play at the top level.”

And Wenger believes his path to the top flight will stand him in good stead.

“First he has not come in straight to a big club, he had an intermediate stay in Europe so the adaptation is less of a question mark.

“He is 23 years old and has already got Champions League, Europa League and Swiss League experience. Where he needs to adapt is to the challenges, the force needed in the Premier League to survive.

“I think that could demand a little bit of adaptation. But overall I think he has all the attributes to succeed.”

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CaptainCazorla

Chambo and Chambers gonna Whip and Ney Ney the fuck out of Mohammad ElNeyney

Arsene's zip

Errr… What??

Matt
Arsene's zip

What the fuck is that bollocks about.

The kids of today, eh?

Sanchezy

What he’s trying to say is he’s going to do this awesome dance after scoring a screamer against sp*rs and the Chelsea scum.

Here’s an example of the “nae nae”
https://youtu.be/vjW8wmF5VWc

Kahn?Kanu!

I have no idea what that video is but after watching it i must say… i like it.

Chris

A highly cerebral point. Thank you.

George

Damn, came here to say the exact same thing.

BuckNasty

Translation: He’ll do what we all know Ramsey is supposed to be doing.

AP

and Flamini

Gbenga

Hope you live up to expectation…….good luck boy

bournegooner

Wenger giving Ramsey the license to the be the more freely roaming DMF then, if they start together that is.

Also, OX has got to pull his socks up now. He’s been pushed down by Joel for the RM role. Wenger tipped OX for CM/CDM but with ElNeny being versatile, chances are he will be pushed further down the pecking order if he keeps up with his below average performances.

Pooner

Quite depressingly the Ox’s performances have been one of the biggest disappointments of the season so far. He needs to dig deep and play the way everyone hopes he can.

Arsene's zip

It’s my fault guys, sorry.

At the start of the season I predicted to several people that this would be the year of the Ox.

Much like when I pick someone for my Fantasy League team they play shit.

Sorry everyone, I cursed the Ox.

Miranda

It’s a bugger, this predicting business. I thought Cech was past it and that Ranieri wouldn’t keep Leicester up.

Arsepedant

Next year please predict that it will be the year of Harry Kane, and pick Sergio Aguero for your fantasy team. No point in picking Rooney, he’s already crap.

Crash Fistfight

I do that too, with FF. I’ve put Harry Kane in and he’s immediately stopped scoring, hehehe!

Maybe I should put Aguero in so his hamstring goes ping…

bournegooner

Now I know why Ozil hasn’t assisted since I put him in my fantasy team. Bye-Bye Ozil. #WelcomeAlexis

Dennis' left shinpad

Smash em, Mo!

Savage

“His strengths are his technical level, his vision, his intelligence, his disciplined attitude and his physical attitude to compete at a high level”

I think that pretty much covers everything. Of course he can shoot from distance too, but we’ll fix that.

Vonnie

I like the intelligence and discipline bit, watch out Ramsey!

Savage

The Guardian article on the other post is a good read:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/jan/14/arsenal-mohamed-elneny-basel

The most interesting stat is that no other player in the Europa League ran more than him. Basically another Ramsey type. Also, it seems he’s quite conservative in his play generally, which will suit him to the DM role. I think a few of us had concerns that based on his YouTube videos he might be too gung-ho for DM.

auz

Now this is journalism. Take note Piers Morgan.

GoonerN16

Actually I think that you will find that Ozil runs further (more) than Ramsey in most games, and obviously to much better effect than Ramsey, imo.
As a poster said on an earlier blog -post, ‘Ramsey needs a kick in the arse’ re: his lack of discipline and also leaving his DM partner up the swanney without a paddle. I concur, and also hope that Eleney can teach Ramsey a thing or two, bc he is seriously getting on my tits right now.

MC1892

From the Arsenal website:
“I would like to tell [the fans] that, although you have not seen much of me, I promise I will contribute positively with the team. I am hoping that we win the Premier League and cup this season, and the Champions League as well.”
Reasonable expectations then..

Devlin

Probably an Arsenal fan growing up. North Africa is pretty much ruled by Arsenal in football fandom and style of play.

Egyptian Gunner

That’s true..Africa in general is ruled by Arsenal and Man Utd with some Liverpool fans scattered here and there

Laurie

Most African teams play the Arsenal way, so I’m sure there are lots of Arsenal fans there. But Nigeria has Arsenal’s largest African fanbase.

Laurie

*Most of North African teams play the Arsenal way.

Miranda

I saw a picture of a bus in Ethiopia that had an image of Mesut Oezil on the front and Jesus Christ on the back.

Mark

Glad to have some other options and cover in finally. Nobody of course knows how quickly he will adapt and settle in plus how he will fare at the much faster pace of the PL, but from all that has been written and seen he looks like a solid signing and a very reasonable fee.

sixteen swans over ainola

Our new Arteta, Flamini, and possibly Rosicky as well. Though I still have high hopes for young Rosicky.

Joel Carter

I’ve just watched his interview on the Arsenal website. Seems like a good guy. Hope we’re paying him enough for him to sort out his teeth though. I’m sure Giroud will have a word….

Kahn?Kanu!

Also watched it. He strikes me as the kinda guy who doesnt really give a shit about his appearance. but in a good manly old school way. Like Gabriel.

santori

As mentioned. Elneny is coming in to cover BOTH DM and central midfield (Ramsey Santi role) Essentially he has an engine to run and has plenty of potential upside. If he was a stock he would be say Nasdaq. but to think he will come in and immediately anchor midfield is unrealistic. He is good short term immediate emergency cover but he will need time to adapt to the team. Meanwhile, Flamini (who was excellent again against Liverpool) needs Ramsey to be more discipline defending (where he is good going forward, he over commits and leaves gaps) Plus Arteta is… Read more »

Crash Fistfight

“mitigated in part of course by Mourinho” – so you’re saying Mourinho lessened the issues? I would have thought he added to them, no?

Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding

Squad player. We need Remi Garde, Gilles Grimamdi, Mathieu Flamini, Edu types. Elneny is one of them I think. That’s not to disparage him. Every squad needs quality in depth. Coquelin needs a capable deputy. This is what Wenger has bought.

Who really knows what Arsene has bought, it’s up to him to show us. Maybe he surprises us, just because he isn’t a big name doesn’t mean he can’t be a big player.

MrArsenalFanMan

Elneny to score a screamer at the Camp Nou to put us through 0-1 in the Champions League.

Arsepedant

That’ll just be the icing on the cake, as we will have won 4-0 in the home leg three weeks earlier.

jez666

At last I can wear my fez while watching the arsenal

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