So Arsenal have given a new ‘long-term’ contract to Mohamed Elneny. It was announced yesterday on the official Arsenal website like this….
The midfielder has made 65 appearances for us since joining in January 2016.
He began his senior career with El Mokawloon in the Egyptian Premier League before joining Swiss club Basel in 2013, helping them to three Super League titles.
Mo is an experienced international and was part of the squad that recently helped Egypt qualify for this summer’s World Cup – their first appearance since 1990.
We would like to congratulate Mo on his new contract and look forward to his continued contribution in the coming seasons.
We all know that Elneny is a solid squad player and doesn’t play in too many games but always does his job quietly and adequately, but he is certainly no superstar in the mold of Ozil or Alexis.
Arsene Wenger has announced that he is happy with Elneny’s progress in his two years at the club and he revealed he believes he can play as a centre-back as well as in midfield. The Boss said: “He had a good pre-season, he absorbed a huge quantity of work and he takes advantage of it now, so it’s down to where he is needed,” Wenger told the official Arsenal website.
“I will use him as a central defender in a three or in midfield.
“He is a fantastic team player and he is a credit to your country if you are Egyptian. He is a fantastic boy, we love him here.
“It took him some time to adapt to the intensity of the games and I think he was not aggressive enough for the Premier League [initially].
“But now he has added that to his game. People forget that Elneny is 25 years old.
“He is not 30 – he’s still a young player and his best years are in front of him.”
Some people are saying that this contract shows that Arsenal are ‘rewarding mediocrity’ and others think that Mo is improving and could be very important for the future.
What do you think?