Mikel Arteta spoke to the press ahead of this weekend’s clash with Liverpool, and was unable to confirm or deny reports linking both Alexandre Lacazette or Mo Elneny with the exit door.
Reports emerged in Egypt this week to claim that the Gunners were willing to cut Elneny’s contract short in order to allow him to move to Turkey on a free transfer in the coming window, an unlikely scenario if you ask me. The Sun cites Fanatik for claiming this to be a possibility however.
There has also been a number of reports claiming that we could be set to cash in on Lacazette in the coming window, with his current contract also set to expire come the end of the term, but the manager refused to be drawn in to comment on either.
“There is so much talk,” Arteta commented in his pre-match press conference (as quoted at Arsenal.com) “What I can say is that I’m really happy with what Laca is doing at the moment, and I’ve said that we are not going to be talking about any of that until the end of the season.”
“Again, I’m really happy with Mo. I won’t be discussing individually other players, and it’s no time to do so.”
It is not a new thing for the manager to refuse to comment on transfers, a stance he has kept for 99% of his time in charge (much like Arsene Wenger), and why would he risk disrupting his playing squad with over a month of football to be played before the transfer window opens?
Elneny would appear the most likely departure of the two, given that he hasn’t started a single league match so far this season, but I still don’t see why we would allow him to leave for nothing in the coming window, with him still provided more than satisfactory back-up to our first-team.
Patrick
” More than satisfactory back up”???? That is a nonsense by any stretch of the imagination.
He is a long way from being even adequate, let alone satisfactory.
And then to claim he is “more than satisfactory” is beyond ridiculous and so FAR beyond it as to be an incredible statement.
Are you actually related to him, I have to wonder, Patrick!!
Perhaps the time Xhaka is out changed Arteta’s thinking on Elneny, but with a fit squad he is not needed.
Partey, Sambi, AMN, Xhaka, Odegaard as a 10, we have enough midfielders to cover our domestic schedule.
White could even fill in as a DM, with Holding or Tomi filling in at CB; Tavares has shown he can cover RB. Also Chambers can play RB, DM, and CB (would not want long term at any though), and Soares is backup RB.
IF an offer came in for Elneny I would sell, were I in charge of transfers.