There are many Arsenal players that divide opinion; this is bound to be the case given Arteta is still trying to perfect his squad selection. However, one player who has a general consensus is Mohamed Elneny; the Egyptian midfielder who is very hard not to love.
Elneny is a driven professional who approaches each game with a lot of enthusiasm as it’s very rare that you’ll see him coasting around the pitch leisurely. Even when being on loan as Besiktas, it was always clear Elneny had one goal in mind, to return to Arsenal and further his fine work.
According to a report from Evening Standard, Elneny’s love for Arsenal has not died and he wants to sign a new contract. They report that even when he was on loan, he never doubted that he would remain a Gunner.
This is exactly the level of passion Arsenal need
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Mohamed Elneny is clearly on board with Arteta’s project. Ever since working under the manager, Elneny has seen a spike in the game time he’s seeing in North London. He is no longer just a rotation player with everyone sighing when he’s in the starting XI, instead, he is a delight to watch.
And his game has expanded too. Whether this is down to Arteta or his loan spell at Besiktas, Elneny appears to play with much more confidence, as he gets forward more often to contribute to Arsenal’s scoring. It’s certainly by no means a bad thing.
While the ideal midfield pairing remains Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, we know that the former can oftentimes get injured and the latter deserves a break from time to time. Elneny is the perfect player to slot in, since he is just as good as both of them.
Overall, I don’t think I’ve ever met an Elneny hater. He’s just not the kind of player you hate because he has two on-field personas; he is either average, or really good. He’s never had a bad game, from what I can recall. Therefore, his desire to remain an Arsenal player can only be a positive sign for us fans.
Do you think Arsenal should offer Elneny a contract extension?