The Athletic reports that Arsenal will look to tie down Mohamed Elneny to a new contract when his current deal ends in the summer.
Viewed as a perfect squad player by Mikel Arteta, who restored the Egypt international to the Arsenal squad last season following a year-long loan with Besiktas, he has proved his worth in recent weeks with a series of impressive midfield performances deputising for the injured Thomas Partey.
Looking ahead to a campaign with European football, Arteta wants Elneny to continue providing support to his younger stars.
For his part, the midfielder has already indicated that he won’t hesitate to put pen to paper if the club wants him to stay.
Arteta and Elneny shared a dressing room for six months during Arsene Wenger’s tenure. Understated and hard-working, the two immediately struck a chord.
Wenger once said of Elneny: “He’s a big advertisement for Egypt because he’s humble, he’s willing to do well, he has a helpful attitude, he’s a fantastic boy and a great asset for us.”
Arteta echoed those sentiments two weeks ago saying: “I have always said that for me he’s one of the most important players in the squad.
“For what he does when you give him the chance to play and for the things that he does when he doesn’t play.
“He’s a phenomenal person and a great footballer that sometimes doesn’t get the credit he deserves.”
Once the season is over, Elneny will have to think long and hard about how he sees the next phase of his career playing out. There’s lot to be said for playing the ‘James Milner’ role but he may also feel he has more to give.
Given his form and the fact he’ll be able to leave on a free, no doubt he’ll have lots of offers to choose from.
Arsenal legend? So difficult for the next generation to understand what Elneny did for us.
The fans – maybe.
The players – definitely not.
I think the more ‘seasoned’ fans amongst us have a deep respect and even a quiet passion for Mo. Always there, always positive, never a hint of the crap that surrounds other players. And hardly ever – ever – fails to deliver when asked.
Yep. And in a cauldron of scum bag hate on Thursday night, the youngsters are going to need the older experienced heads like Mo and Xhaka to keep them calm and focused on the job at hand. It’s going to be a fucking long 90+ but I believe this side has enough in it. Spurs are a two trick pony. Keep it nice and compact, give nothing away, bide our time, keep Son and the window licker quiet and we’ve got them on toast. Just give the twats a dose of their own medicine and pick them off on the… Read more »
It’s a Mo brainer
One of Arteta’s biggest and possibly costliest mistakes this season is not playing Mo earlier. I’m delighted to hear this and I hope he signs soon.
I think Arteta is still getting to grips with the midfield. The balance isn’t always there and I think Partey’s excellent form covered that up during the purple patch. Xhaka is a hard player to balance a midfield around and Sambi is talented but not ready to play the single pivot the way Partey does. Since Arteta realised that he didn’t “just” bring Elneny in but he also made Xhaka play more of a double pivot instead of the advanced 8 (which is what we also saw when ESR played in midfield in that horror run). So I don’t think… Read more »
Instead of who? Partey? Xhaka? Uhm, no.
Instead of Xhaka? Uhm, YES!
Bring on the downvotes but I’d play Mo over Granit 8 days outa 7. The so-called cutting edge that Xhaka gives us with his famed ‘incisive passing’ has flickered down to a handful of passes every other game. And – when coupled with the times he passes it to the opposition, gets caught in possession, gets outmanouvered or plain out-paced, goes to sleep in the box on defence…- Mo is way more reliable, consistent, far less ‘admin’…
Agreed, won the last 4 matches with him in the team and lost the previous three, against weaker opposition, without him.
He gives us consistency, which we lack. We don’t have many players who are regularly performing well 90% of the time.
No brainer.
Mo Elneny is not the guy who single-handedly wins you the champions league but every great side needs a clutch of dependable squad players.
Another likeable character signing on. Good news.
Richly deserved and low risk. There’s an obvious difference in quality but he’s actually the closest analogue to the player Arteta was for us with the added bonus of Kante-esque fitness. Metronome passing and reads the game well to sweep up counterattacks but also has enough quality to occasionally produce some attacking threat. No brainer for me.
This recent streak is not unique–he’s done well in other seasons. I remember the praise he got for chasing back at full speed in the 94th minute to seal a win. A lot quicker than James Milner, but I like the comparison.
I’ve always liked elneny. He could play that Henderson role, doesn’t need to attack because there are better players for that and just keeps recycling possession
Agreed – and I’d like to see his re-posession/interceptions stats over the last few weeks. I reckon they’d be through the roof. His reading of the game ability was so evident against Leeds at the weekend.
I’ve said before that he has a Gilberto-esque ability to break up play in mid-field. He reads counters extremely well and has excellent positional sense. This has the effect of pushing teams wide in order to by-pass him and make defending a LOT easier – it ain’t flashy, it often hardly noticeable unless one is looking for that pattern – but God knows it’s effective.
Great to hear. If he’s willing to stay given a backup role, then he’s a must sign player. Partey is brilliant, but we’ve seen too many injuries. He’s not reliable physically.
An “Edu”, if you will.
Thought of Ray Parlor myself
ooh aaah…
Maybe it’s because of yesterday’s game entirely, my blood is simmering over this one. The squad should be taking a significant step forward this summer, leading to more games like yesterday rather than Chelsea and Man United. Mo brings stability in the latter, but very little to the table when it comes to the former. Yesterday, I wanted Sambi on, whose progressive passing would have helped make yesterday a smoother occasion and closed the GD gap on Spurs. This is not the Holding Protocol, which will always be required even when Saliba returns. Better quality players with the right specificity… Read more »
Lol blood simmering?! Calm down it’s clear he’s going to be a squad player and in an ideal world will rarely play. Players who accept that role in the team and love the club are like gold dust on and off the pitch. We’re still going to bring in a quality CM this summer.
Exactly this. The reality of building a squad is you need to have some ‘squad players’ who are a) happy to sit on the bench for 70% of games and b) good/professional enough to do a decent job when called upon. You cannot fill your squad only with superstars and red hot youngsters. The latter will eventually want to leave to get game time if their progress is obviously blocked by a superstar who’s going nowhere. That’s how you end up with situations like Salah and De Bruyne slipping through the fingers of big clubs and establishing themselves elsewhere. Every… Read more »
I am calm. I guess my choice of words has got everyone thinking my finger’s on the trigger. I have a pet peeve when watching football: when there is a distinct lack of progressive passing, either at a critical moment or habitually by a particular player. Mo falls foul of the latter, so I guess this was just bad timing with the report as far as my emotions are concerned. I accept his value to the recent turnaround in fortunes, but in a game in which the team is dominant, he’s net negative IMO. The recruitment of a new CM… Read more »
Mo provided key presses and interceptions in the second half against Leeds. But his ball progression was also good, made incisive forward passes from just outside our box to instigate counters. And most tellingly made the pass for Odegaard’s chance that went just wide. He was one of our best players in this 4 win streak. I hope he stays.
Simple: definitely bring in a top mid to partner Partey. Keep Mo as cast-iron back-up. Sell Granit.
End of…
And continue to develop Sambi at a carefully measured pace, for seasons to come.
Little or no contribution? Have you actually watched us play recently?! He’s been rock solid, even against Chelsea. I’d rather have a fully fit Elneny on the pitch than a half fit Partey all day long. Not to mention that he’s got a great attitude in terms of being a squad player and helping when needed.
And I certainly rather have Mo alongside Thomas when he comes back, as opposed to Granit. Minimal risk with Mo – max with Granit… not worth the odd great thru-ball when you consider the downside of one-footed defending and transitional play, lack of pace, temper….
You know nothing Dr. kNOw
Which just goes to show how much you know about the game.
Next…..🙄
Look up Sambis stats for this season. Just about every game he has started we’ve lost. Elneny is much much better.
I don’t think he is. What you’ve written is more or less true for Sambi’s last 6-7 matches (including Arteta’s gamble with Xhaka as a left-back) but far from the truth when you look at the previous games.
Lokonga is 7 years younger and is much willing to risk a pass forward. Maybe Sambi should try a little less,- but I think the talent is obviously there. He just needs time.
We won the last 4 matches with him in the team (including Chelsea and Man U) and lost the previous three, against Southampton, Birghton and Palace, without him.
Are you ‘THE ANGRIEST MAN ON TWITTER’?
Lol. Ridiculous post of the day winner! I’ll take Mo all day any day over sambi who has, quite frankly, been shit all season.
Of course Sambi has much to learn but the potential is clearly there. I believe he’s a great signing for the future and certainly doesn’t warrant your rubbishing of him in that nanner
What, not allowed to point out the obvious that he’s been fkn woeful every time he’s played so far?! Just because he’s “young” with lots of “potential”…! Gimme a break…
The fact is that he has had some good matches and has been far from woeful in every match and has shown great potential.
Mmm…I love how my house smells when I’ve had a pot of blood simmering on the stove. Don’t you?
Don’t know. Never been to your house.
historically i would agree as far as elneny’s vision and progressive passing. he has generally played the ball safely, laterally and backwards. in prior seasons, giving him the ball tended to take the momentum out of the attack. however, this season he’s been a lot better. he’s played some really good balls into the final third in the last few weeks–probably helps when you have nketiah or martinelli running for them. but aside from all that, his defensive positioning and effort make him a valuable utility player. i do have some concerns that his presence may take time away from… Read more »
The forward-driving passing is Xhaka’s job, or at least, it’s supposed to be. There is little else he brings that Mo doesn’t do better – break up, positional sense, 2-footted, speed (!!), calm presence (!!)… The fact that Xhaka has been under-performing on the counter-attack passing front is NOT Eleny’s problem… nor should it be. The bloke does everything asked of him, 99.9% of the time – always!
‘Little or no on-pitch contribution’ ? Mate – you clearly know very little about the dark arts of defensive mid-fielding!
And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it
I li-li-like it, li-li-li
Here we gooo-OOH
Xhaka and Elneny Mo!
I’m not sure he’ll have to think that long or hard as his most likely other options are a step down.
One of the other things not mentioned is Elneny must be close to being able to get UK residency or even citizenship soon which could also play a part if he has a settled family.
Just a month ago, who would have thought that Arsenal fans would want Nketiah and Elneny to extend their contracts
Time. Time gives perspective!
Great news! Sign da thing!
We need 3 more proper attacking players, 4 if Pepe leaves.
Jesus, Raphinha, Tielemans would be good for starters.
Jesus would be a good signing. Can’t honestly say Raphina and certainly Tielemans are not better than the players we have.
Selfishly want him to sign a new deal so I can continue to annoy my Man Utd supporting friends by calling him Mohamed El Gullit
If you want to annoy your Manchester B supporting friends, try using the words “Brighton and Hove Albion” within earshot.
Hass!
Fantastic news.
This guy is an absolute keeper. His attitude, commitment and work rate are second to none. Game in, game out, he puts in a shift, no matter what.
Every successful squad will have a quota of these ‘Bread and Butter’ players who quietly keep things ticking over, rain or shine.
He is a great example for our youngsters to follow and it’s great that he is playing such a great part in such a pivotal period in the club’s history.
Well done Mo. Good to have you on board mate. 😊👍
Definitely would be happy to have him back, he is a great squad player and can fill in admirably when need be. Not ever going to be a full-time starter, but sure can step in well in big games.
Elneny is a must to re-sign as a squad player.
Losing Partey and Sambi not beoing ready I thought that was us kissing goodbye to top 4, but Mo Elneny has come in and done a great job.
If we make top 4 he deserves a lot of credit for stabilising the midfield. Tidy on the ball and good at winning it back for our more creative players.
He’ll never be good enough as an automatic starter, but if he’s happy being a squad player then he’s a must keep!
Very good squad player and he should be given a new contract. Strange how many fans who said he was rubbish and had to go now think he should stay. Like Holding when they come in they do a good job.
A month ago I would have said offering Elneny a new contract a bizarre move. Today it would be bizarre if we didn’t! I doff my cap to Mo.
Sign da thing super Mo
As we have got into European competition again, I think it’s a good idea to get him signed up, as long as it’s not a ridiculous wage increase. He’s done a good job in recent weeks but we need to remember that next season, he needs to be a squad player again and not an auto starter, as in we should be trying to strengthen the position. But yeah he seems like a great guy and would be happy to have him with us past this season
European football back in the mix, and hopefully a better cup run next season, and there should be plenty of playing time and starting opportunities to earn for Mo and Sambi.
Would love for el neny to stay. There’s something of the Gilberto Silva to him.
Exactly.
I just hope thar Eddie follows suit. Even if he’s not going to be our main striker, he will be a useful back up. We will also be fighting on four fronts so he’ll get more games and become an even more lethal striker.
I think the clincher will be Champions League football next season.
Where else is Eddie going to find it – realistically?
Win against those utter utter cunts on Thursday – and transfer negotiations become a lot easier.
With Laca leaving I think it is vital we retain some experienced players who are great from the dressing room and can handle a squad role (Holding, Xhaka and El Neny). To this we then add young elite potential as we have been doing already. Saliba will add this element to the defence, and I’d like to see either Aouar, De Jong or Fabian Ruiz added to the midfield (as that Santi potential player who can rotate with experienced players as I believe Sambi can with Partey given some time.) At the moment we need Mo in the squad as… Read more »
Happy for him and happy for him to stay. For god limitations, and I think Arsenal supporters probably exaggerate them, he is a solid squad player. So important to have a few of them around for tactical flexibility and backup options. Also, surely one of the most difficult things to do at the top level is to be able to come into a team after so long without game action and perform as if you never missed a game. Think he will see much more field time next year given he’s proven he can handle himself when needed and we’ll… Read more »
Pyramid Pirlo😃
His press resistance is decent. Perhaps a couple of notches below the ability of Partey but still serviceable. His progressive passing from deep isn’t as direct and efficient as Partey but he is zero risk at progressing the play. Usually using the players around him in this central position to work the angles that Wenger favoured and move opposition players around before giving himself more time to play a safe forward pass. It doesn’t mean he will break the lines from deep. But will be there to keep the pressure on the opposition not to make a mistake with their… Read more »
Excellent summation of the quiet edge that RockSteady Mo’Nenny brings to the team.
MO has been LANS these past few games. Still wonder why Sambi started the Brighton and Soton games. You could spot a correlation between MO’s inclusion and the upturn in our form lately.
He’s been an absolute professional. Please sign da ting MO❤️
Eveready Mo’Nenny – diamond geezer, all-round nice bloke, very very very seldom does he fail to deliver when asked. Keep the fella, ffs!