According to Football.London, Arsenal have rejected an offer from Galatasaray for Mohamed Elneny.
We don’t know what the terms were but the Turkish giants have until tomorrow night to complete their transfer business and there remains an outside chance they could get their man if they increase their bid.
Elneny, 29, will be out of contract next summer making this the last real chance for technical director Edu to get a fee for a player who has been on the books since signing from Basel in 2016. It’s believed Besiktas, with whom he spent the 2019/20 campaign, also made an approach last week.
Presumably, Mikel Arteta needs to weigh up whether an incoming offer offsets the short-term concerns about available personnel in the centre of the park.
The Gunners haven’t had Thomas Partey for the opening three games of the season and won’t be able to call on Granit Xhaka for the next three after he received a red card. A continuation of that pattern (unlikely but not impossible given recent evidence) would heap pressure on new boy Sambi Lokonga and would likely require us to lean on Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Of course, we also have to take into account that Mo, who is currently nursing a muscle problem, will most likely be at the African Cup of Nations in January. There are a number of factors to consider.
An offer in the region of £50 million and a promise to come back in the summer and spend the same on Cedric should do the trick.
Sigh.
Only £50m??? Blogs undervaluing our stars
I’d gladly accept £40m +1
Lucky to get 50 Mill Turkish Lira
Another £10 million in sympathy payments for having to have Willian for a year would swing it over the line I think.
Give a break to Willian. He wasn’t able to be the player he was. Same is happening to Hazard, had happened to Torres, Falcao, Bale, Coutinho etc.
I completely agree. The real fault here is not with Willian but with those responsible for his recruitment and his inflated contract
It kinda make sense, we only have 4 midfielders.
Partey, Sambi, Xhaka, AMN all better options.
White, Tomiyasu, Chambers, ESR, Odegaard, Saka can all do a job if necessary.
Nothing against Mo, but it’s a deal we should do.
With injury record and indiscipline, i would probably want to keep him. i’m more worried about laca, eddie and flo competing for similar minutes. especially with laca and eddie leaving next season and flo didn’t go on loan this season.
Xhaka is just not a better option full stop.
I wonder if Chambers could do as well as Elneny in that central midfield role.
I’d be amazed if we got more than a few million. Not worth it we need the numbers until Jan.
Not talking from a position of knowledge but I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to get him for free
Time to part ways, he offers little to nothing other than an engine to chase the ball late in games, he isn’t solid defensively or offensively. I would sell whilst we still can and blood one of the youngsters.
Someone like that is better than another who got red carded.
Not really, and off topic, that red card was silly, but I kind of blame Arteta for playing Xhaka on his own with no support, he’s not that kind of player, excels with a Partey type alongside him, those tactics against City certainly backfired. Lokonga should’ve been alongside him, although we still would have lost, it wouldn’t have been quite as dramatic as it turned out to be. In terms of Elneny, he really offers nothing that AMN couldn’t do better as a backup CM, and with Patino waiting for his opportunity now’s the time to cash in on Elneny… Read more »
Which red? They’ve all been silly – point is he either can’t learn or just doesn’t care.
Never mind his 42 yellows!! Each one of which puts our entire midfield and defence on tenterhooks, waiting for the 2nd booking…
Elneny has 1 red and 10 yellows in 70 appearances.
Two Arsenal players:
Player A:
Player B:
Can anyone guess the players? I know which one I’d prefer to have in my team
Fairly accurate description of Xhaka but fantasy stuff what you are saying about Elneny.
What part specifically?
Almost all of it….but especially ‘good positioning’. That bit just blows my mind.
I definitely don’t see it as a problem area with Mo. He’s probably not exceptional at it, maybe decent positioning would be better. He can definitely turn players to beat a press, not at the level of partey and Sambi, but miles ahead of Xhaka, and he might actually be the best midfielder we have in executing a press (see Manure game) and you’re going to argue that he’s not super mobile and doesn’t have a fantastic motor too? IMO he’s one of the most underrated players we have. He’s a really solid squad option. Great character. Manageable wage. He’s… Read more »
In a pre-Covid market Emery wanted rid – 5m quid, ‘manageable wage’, great age…….bargain of the century missed by the whole football world if what you are saying is true……and yet not a single taker…..not one.
100% agree Xhaka should not be in first 11. We’re going nowhere with him there. But Elneny better? Come on, that’s just blinded by frustration with Xhaka. It’s nonsense….
Couple of points you’ve missed/overlooked:
Apologies: ‘it’s NOT a comment on Elneny’s…’
Didn’t overlook them at all goonshow – I just don’t think any of what Daveo muted is true
I have not been advocating for Mo as a starter, we have two better players (sambi and partey), but he provides excellent depth to them and doesnt require a less systematic change to make the team (barely) function and he doesn’t make the players around him worse. Much rather him as that rotational piece than our granny
I understand what you are saying, I never said you were advocating for him as a starter…….but we had a team prepared to pay 12m approx & 100k pw to Xhaka & we can’t find a single club to pay any fee for Elneny & match his wages (which are half of Xhaka’s) That suggests to me that – for all Xhaka’s flaws & I’m not denying them in any way – saying Elneny offers more than Xhaka is something people who know a lot more about football than us would find laughable….. This whole discussion is fuelled by his… Read more »
I just think he’s one of those under the radar guys that never really get appreciated for what they do, and most of what he has had to do is play alongside Xhaka and they just aren’t a good fit together because they compound each other’s weaknesses. With Partey last year Mo was excellent. Not sure the world has seen enough of Mo with decent midfield partners. And yes, IMO he is at least the equal of xhaka and comes without the errors and disciplinary issues.
Came here to say similar. Might be a bit controversial, but I’d rather keep Elneny than Xhaka. He’s decent cover at DM, he’s athletic, he’s technically sound, he never complains or does anything stupid unlike another certain midfielder. An adequate, low-maintenance squad player.
100% agree. AMN has got so much more to his game.
I’m all for a little measured experimenting to see if that is actually true, but personally I haven’t seen enough yet to make such a claim.
On the scant few times I’ve seen AMN play midfield he’s been a little slow/lazy on the ball and loose with the passing. In a position like that at a club like this, we don’t have 6-8 matches to see if that improves.
I also need to know he actually wants to be here.
I’d keep him over Xhaka 8 days outa 7…
Not sure what the fella’s ever done to justify the scathing crits he gets on here – loyal, runs his bollocks off, solid – yes he’s made a few errors but way less than most of our other mids and defenders!
And he has scored some bangers. Yeh I also am confused by the hate for him.
This comment shows you don’t really understand football if you think he’s a solid midfielder and should stick around. Good day sir!
He didn’t say that Elneny is a solid midfielder or that he should stick around. He said that he doesn’t understand the level of criticism he receives, and that he makes fewer errors than others.
Thx Chep – but now you’ve gone and confuzzed Nuggz’ ‘argument’ with rational logic and facts, damn you!
Sorry ’bout that! I should know better…
Never a fan of the reply that starts “you don’t really understand football if you think …”
That’s because you really don’t understand condescension.
Now then. Less of that. How dare you accuse a bread and butter player of being a bread and butter player.
Not sure why you feel the need to reduce your ‘argument’ to a personal attack… but that probably says as much as any of us need to know about your ‘understanding’ of life.
I’d simply point out that this is a chat about Elneny versus Xhaka… not Elneny as stand-alone, stand-out midfielder – you may find it helpful to read and then actually consider other’s comments before slagging them off.
What’s he done to deserve it? Very little, and that’s the problem. The issue with Elnenly is that he should never have been bought, because he’s simply not at the level. He’s done about as well as he could have, and he seems a great guy, but he’s not somebody who’s going to make our team more competitive than anybody else. He’s somebody you plug in when your better players are unavailable – and I don’t understand why it was necessary to keep somebody like that at the club for so many years. He’s scored some nice goals in the… Read more »
Sometimes a player like that – loyal, pro, hardworking, a positive influence, does the job he’s asked when he’s asked – is exactly what a club needs in a backup player. Sometimes you need a backup that isn’t an inexperienced youngling, or a wantaway primadonna, or an overpaid, underutilized player with a broken glass attitude.
I’m good with him moving on to a new challenge, but he’s done a job for us and I respect him for it.
Love ‘broken glass attitude’… can I borrow it?
I was thinking the same thing. Then I realised… I don’t actually know what that phrase means🤔. If you do know, please explain.
Again – this chat is comparing him to Xhaka: who would one rather keep?
If we look at who should ‘never have been bought’… Xhaka cost over FOUR times more, and contributes less (factoring in the ‘damage’ of all his yellows and reds!)…
‘When better players are unavailable’ – surely you’re not implying that Xhaka is ‘better’? Unavailable?… certainly (waiting for the next red!)
A bandage for that foot you just shot, perhaps?
They were both poor purchases, arguing which is worse is silly.
You’re right, he was a complete waste of money and was no better than Coquelin, who himself was a limited player.
Huh… I loved the Coq. And I loved saying, I love the Coq.
He was an honest pro but wouldn’t get into one of our top 4 competitors, same can be said of Elneny
I would put the Coq in this midfield.
Seems like a natural parter for Xhaka.
The fan reactions to both are pretty similar, actually. The Coq, Elneny, and Joel Campbell have all been limited players who weren’t quite good enough, but they each represented a TYPE of player that was sorely lacking from the team at the time: The Coq was a physical central defensive midfielder – he wasn’t a very good physical CDM, but he was the most physical and most defensive midfielder we had and he was a breath of fresh air compared the rest of the welterweights Wenger insisted on packing our midfield with. It wasn’t that we needed the Coq, it… Read more »
I can’t imagine the fee is high, nor his wages. We know what he can and can’t give us on the pitch, perhaps it’s worth keeping hold of him for now
Maybe they come back for him in January? I would move him on then.
They most likely won’t come back for him in January (unless it’s a loan?). He is out of contract after this year so they won’t want to pay any fee when they can negotiate with him about a free in January.
We only paid something like 5 million for him. He’s off to AFCON in January and will leave for free at the end of the season. Just take what we can get. Of course, we want as much as possible, but I hope we don’t make the same mistakes as others we have failed to sell, who then leave for fuck all!
We can always xtend his contract to protect his market value 😉
The window is closed and there’s no chance of getting a replacement unless we resign Jack Wilshere?
Serge Aurier. He can offer cover as a right fullback and Chambers can play the holding midfield role. Then we can all hang ourselves.
😂😂
Come back for your swansong season Santi!!
100% agree.
Nah – he cost 6m so that’s all we ‘lose’ if he does indeed leave on a free. Xhaka on the other hand we stand lose a shite-load on, never mind Laca and others.
Elneny is low-risk on every level – keep him for depth.
Ffs just sell him.
Agree with the sentiment, less so the delivery…
Exactly. Stop with the haggling bs. Thanks for your service mo but time to punt him and bring in somebody younger on the edges of the squad …seeing as we are all about project youth these days…
It is very hard to sell a player nobody wants. The problem with Elneny – as it is with a lot of our other players – is not that we are bad at selling. It’s that we are bad at buying & extending the contracts of players who aren’t good enough.
There isn’t a lot of depth in central midfield, the fees probably not gonna be substantial and El neny doesn’t seem bothered about being squad player. It kinda makes sense to keep him for the season and then hopefully Azeez or someone else can step in.
Partey, Sambi
Xhaka, Niles
Chambers played a season in midfield for Fulham, so can cover there, he lacks Elneny’s athleticism, but Chambers is a better footballer
Ben White can play midfield in an emergency
Patino can get minutes in the cups, and more experience being around the first team
Elneny will be away in January for the African Cup
I’d prefer stronger options, but may as well just let Elneny leave
In a perfect world:
Partey-Sambi
Elneny, AMN (white, chambers, Odegaard, ESR as other options)
In reality
Arteta to his assistant coaches: “who should we partner with Xhaka today?”
Chambers is not a better footballer than Elneny. Elneny is actually pretty good as a football. He does not lose the ball often in tight spaces and he recycles the ball well. He is not a mercurial midfielder, but his task he does very well. I’m not sure Chambers can match that kind of consistent technical stability.
What depth do we really need? We’ve only got the PL to concern ourselves with this season. A situation where we’re relying on Elneny suggests things will have already gone wrong. Give any minutes he’d have had to AMN.
Agreed on giving AMN some time in midfield and seeing how that works out. But, given the covid risk of suddenly losing players, and Elneny’s contentment with squad player role, I don’t see the harm in holding on to him for another year.
Surely sell him and give AMN a chance if it arises? I quite like Mo but I can’t see he offers us anything less than Ainsley would.
…or anything more, even.
Agree. He is a nice guy and always gives his everything. But unfortunately the standard isn’t always high enough. Except when he needs to score in European games. Rocket man
Don’t know why this is getting down voted. I’ve got a lot of love for Mo, he’s clearly a great character and has done nothing other than give his all when he’s played but… I’d back… Partey, Sambi, AMN, Chambers, ESR, Odegaard, Xhaka, Tomiyasu, White Saka to all do as good a job or better in that role. With Eddie & Kola getting stuck there I think the squad is at least 2 or 3 players heavier than it needs to be without European football. Once less player means everyone has a better chance of playing every weekend and that… Read more »
Reminds me of of when I pursuing this other lady…
..was…
Elneny shows the level of our ambition. The test should be would he get a slot in the midfield of any of the top 4 teams in the EPL. If not, we should probably move on. If we keep retaining / buying average players to be coached by an average / unproven manager, we have no complaints if we can’t catch up with the clubs that invest in world class players and /or are managed by some of the best managers in the world.
He won’t even get into Brighton’s midfield
Says a lot about the Arsenal and who we are now, clinging onto Elneny
It’s possible that Elneny has refused the transfer – just like last week’s Besiktas offer. He doesn’t want a reduction in wages. He is, however gambling that his wages for a new club next season will offset any losses he could take now. Tricky for him.
I listened the interview Edu had earlier. And my impression is that Arsenal management has a policy to sell for what the players’ worth, or don’t sell at all. They’d rather let the players walk free than selling them cheap.
I’m not sure what is the best practice. But for a big club like Arsenal, there is a reputation to protect. Also the management may feel the club is capable of taking a short term hit, and they aren’t going to take any lowball offer just because.
That’s a change then. Once we were promised that no player would enter the final year of their contract.
We were also promised that we would be competing with Bayern Munich.
And that we’d be back in the Champions League.
And that there would be certain non-negotiables.
A reputation to protect?
Our reputation is that of a doormat that lets good players leave on a free.
Selling players for money is better than losing them on a free, macho bullshit like “reputation” and “disrespecting the club” has fuck all to do with it.
We’ve made the decision to keep Ainsley, let’s give him playing time that Elneny would get.
Promote an U23 player!! Give the minutes to a youngster who may have a higher ceiling and can be put in a future shopping window…no brainer!
Presumably the calculation is what is FEE + WAGE SAVING? If it is more than 3-5 million, do it; otherwise don’t.
Going forward we would have to say if we are paying clubs to buy our players or if they are paying for it.
I feel Elneny had demonstrated more than enough that, sadly, he just isn’t good enough for the level we want to be at. I’d rather see Maitland Niles given those minutes in his preferred position, hands down.
Who cares.
That’s my review of Elneny’s entire Arsenal career.
The man is defined by mediocrity and I can’t muster up any emotions regarding him.
If he goes to Turkey, whatever. If he stays, whatever.
He’s not going to make a difference either way, he never has.
The Salieri of the midfield?
Unrelated post regarding Mo, I’d like to thanks blogs and the team for keeping up their work over the years, I’m 30 and I’ve been following the blog for 13 years now and this is my first comment. It’s not been easy for a long time now being a gunners fan, and lately, I dunno about you all, but I’m seeing more Arsenal stick than ever before. It hurts And I don’t know if I’m the problem too, because i feel pissed off all the time because of it. Other teams supporters teams loose all the time too and they… Read more »
Yeah – there sure seems to be a lot of “fans” who prefer to p*ss and moan, rather than see positive side of things.
When MA came on board it was acknowledged that to re-vamp the team to get it to where the club wanted to be would take a few years.
The moaners only want to wait a few months.
Frustration, all around. That we can’t sell Mo. That we might need him “in the centre of the park.” That we are marginally, if any, better staffed than we were last season. That injuries and stupidity leave us shorthanded so often. That we still don’t have a proven right back. Or a stud in the centre. That we consider AMN a last resort. That the gaffer seems in over his head. That we are oceans behind the top clubs. The problems with Arsenal lie squarely at the feet of ownership and upper management.
Holding out for a second pint and a pack of Squares to replace the Quavers.
Give them 50% discount if they take a Cedric now. So 25m only. Time limited offer, includes a trip on Edu’s new Yacht