Mohamed Elneny could remain at Arsenal for the upcoming season, and I for one am not overly annoyed.
Formation
It is looking like Mikel Arteta will favour 433 once he has all the pieces of the puzzle in place.
That means Arsenal will need 6 central midfielders to cover the 3 positions – and a mixture of out and defensive, box to box and more creative players.
At the club we currently have:
Granit Xhaka (Defensive)
Dani Ceballos (Box to box / Creative)
Lucas Torreira (Box 2 box / Defensive)
Matteo Guendouzi (Box to box)
Mohamed Elneny (Defensive / Box to Box)
Joe Willock (Box to box)
So 6 into 3 goes well – although that 6 does lack creativity.
We are then heavily linked with Thomas Partey (box to box / defensive) and Houssem Aouar (creative).
Partey would be a “like for like “ swap with Lucas Torreira, whilst Houssem Aouar would offer Arteta a more creative option over Matteo Guendouzi.
That would then see us with:
Granit Xhaka (Defensive)
Dani Ceballos (Box to box / Creative)
Thomas Partey (Box 2 box / Defensive)
Houssem Aouar (Creative)
Mohamed Elneny (Defensive / Box to Box)
Joe Willock (Box to box)
Willian can also play deeper, but he is also more of a creative outlet rather than being defensive or box to box.
Elneny would provide good cover for Xhaka in the middle.
Value
Fact is, Arsenal do not raise much money by selling Mohamed Elneny.
I am sure the club would rather keep Lucas Torreira and sell the Egyptian, but you are looking at one player raising close to ÂŁ25million, whilst the other less than ÂŁ10million.
Elneny would not provide us with the cash needed to push through a deal for Partey or Auoar.
Contract
Likewise, Elneny is only on a reported ÂŁ50,000 a week, which does not really pay for much these days.
Best Xhaka back up
If we sold Elneny alongside Torreira and Guendouzi; and signed the two aforementioned player, we would have 5 midfielders. That feels light.
So could we get better than Elneny for the transfer fee he would command, and the wages he is on? Probably not.
An argument could be made that Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be the 6th midfielder, but his services might be required elsewhere. Likewise some might see Willian as being the 6th midfield. But then we do not really have the defensive cover for Xhaka.
It would mean either playing Partey, Ceballos or Willock in the middle of the 3.
This would restrict both players who like to roam and press. The middle man needs to be fairly static.
Elneny between the two would be our strongest midfield if Xhaka was out
Professionalism
There has never been a hint of trouble around Elneny though out his career. He is a solid professional.
He is the exact character and ability you would want in your 2nd string.
Squad Balance
To build a squad, you need great balance – in position and ability.
There is no point having a midfield entirely made up of Xavi’s, you need a Bousquet. Likewise a midfield of Bousquet’s needs a Xavi.
You can not have a squad of 25 superstars. The ego’s will clash. You need some players who accept that they are second string, and happy to do so.
Elneny will provide the midfield with some balance, and would also understand he is a squad player, not a starter.
He might be one of those players that many have on the “sell” list, but Mo Elneny is also a player that still has a role to play in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 