Mohamed Elneny has been enjoying his loan spell at Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas, and is more than open to making that move permanent.
The Egyptian midfielder joined Arsenal in January 2016, but failed to nail down a regular starting spot. He continued to float in and out of the first-team, even deputising in defence on a number of occasions, but never got given an extended run of action.
Having made only eight Premier League appearances last season, the decision was made for him to go out on loan in the summer, and he has earned his role as a key player for the Super Lig giants this term.
Elneny now admits that he is open to the idea of making that switch more permanent, while taking a sideways jibe at his current employers.
“Of course I am happy because I feel like I am part of the Besiktas family. Always, always, know I am glad to be here and I don’t know about the future,” Elneny told beIN Sports.
“Of course I don’t know about the future, but if Besiktas want me they can pay my current team and I can stay. Of course I am happy to be here and I always fight to help my teammates, to help with the club, to improve and to be like I wish.
“Every time I wish we win every game. That’s what we expect because we are a big club and we have big players and we have a good team.”
I defended the 27 year-old for a long time amongst other Gunners fans, as I always believed he wasn’t given a fair shot at playing regularly, and saw he had a huge amount of potential in his first 18 months that never had a chance to shine through.
One can’t really blame him for not being happy with the time he spent on the bench or in our reserves for a player of his calibre, and I hope Besiktas make us a fair offer for his signature.
Am I alone in thinking Elneny deserved more match minutes in his first seasons? Is there any future for him at Arsenal considering he is still relatively young?
Patrick