Arsenal set to wave goodbye to last Arsene Wenger signing with ‘Saudi clubs bid coming in,place set to depart next week as agreement is now in place
Arsenal could part ways with the only remaining player in the squad that Arsene Wenger signed. Mohamed Elneny is reportedly attracting January transfer interest and could soon be on his way out of the Emirates.
Arsenal signed Elneny from Basel in January 2016 for a fee of just £5million. Next month, he will bring up his eighth anniversary at the club.
He has found game time hard to come by in recent years, with injuries affecting his availability. Signings of Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Declan Rice have seen him fall down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal aided Elneny through his recovery from a serious knee ligament injury. They rewarded him with a new one-year contract in February last year despite his lack of action and knowing he wouldn’t be fit until a couple of months into this campaign.
Since returning to fitness, Elneny has played as many times for Egypt as he has Arsenal. He will soon be off to the Africa Cup of Nations but could return having joined a new club.
Fabrizio Romano says there is concrete interest in the 31-year-old from Turkish side Trabzonspor. Besiktas and Galatasaray are also tracking the player, as are teams in the Saudi Pro League.
His departure would see the final Arsenal player signed by legendary former manager Wenger leave the club. Rob Holding and Granit Xhaka were both signed by Wenger and went in the summer after long spells in north London.
Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah both played under Wenger. But they came through the academy, leaving Elneny as the only remaining Wenger signing.
Elneny’s departure would leave a hole in Arteta’s squad, more for his influence off the pitch than on it. Arteta recently said about the midfielder: “I always said he’s our glue player, he’s the one that brings everybody together, sticks everybody together, he’s a really important player for me in the squad and I am delighted to have him.”
Elneny would have to give a green light to a move in January and could stay at Arsenal until the summer if he so wished as his contract doesn’t expire until June 30. He previously claimed he would love to finish his career with the Gunners.
Arsenal football club, they know I love them 100 per cent, so much,” he said. “They know I don’t want to leave. I want to stay and finish my career there, 100 per cent.”
Elneny may have no choice but to leave at some point if Arsenal don’t decide to offer him a new deal this year. His exit would mark the end of an era left behind by Wenger.
