Arsenal Poised To Make First January Signing! by AT
With the January transfer window just a few days away, it seems as though Arsenal have already completed their first signing as the Mirror are reporting that FC Basel midfielder Mohammed Elneny is due to fly into London and complete a move to the Emirates.
It was reported last week that Arsenal had agreed a £5 million fee for the midfielder and it now seems as though personal terms too have been agreed as the only thing that is pending now is a medical. With midfielders Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky all being victims of long-term injuries, the signing of Elneny will add some much needed depth to the Gunners midfield.
Personally, I believe that there is a great amount of credibility in this story and I do expect a deal to be completed very shortly. It is no secret that the Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is in search of midfield reinforcements ahead of a potential title push and with the Egyptian international being 23 years old and being valued at £5 million, he really does seem like a typical Wenger signing.
Elneny however, is not an out-and-out defensive midfielder. The report from the Mirror further goes on to suggest that the player was brought in not just as a short-term replacement for Coquelin but rather as a long-term prospect for Arsenal’s midfield as the North London club look set to let go of Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini in the summer. In addition, Elneny’s modest price tag means Arsenal can go in for another defensive midfielder in the summer.
Wenger seems to have been eyeing the player for quite some time now and was perhaps hurried into making a move as a result of Arsenal’s injury crisis in midfield, which means that the imminent capture of the Egyptian will not really be a panic buy. Anyway, what the Gunners need right now is depth in midfield and Mohammed Elneny will surely provide that.
Hopefully this will just be the first arrival as our njuries are now out of hand….
Anurag