Elneny makes decision on future amidst Gunners clearout

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By Martin Graham | 26th Apr 2022

Mohamed Elneny has decided to remain at Arsenal and is awaiting the Gunners’ decision on a new contract for him, reports say.

Mohamed Elneny will be out of a contract in the summer and can move on to other clubs as a free agent. He has been with the club since 2016 after Arsenal signed him from Swiss side FC Basel for £5 million.

Despite being a staple of their midfield in the 2017/18 season and 2018/19 season, he has now been relegated to a background role in the club as Mikel Arteta prefers the likes of Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga to him in the holding role alongside Granit Xhaka.

However, he has made a resurgent return to the squad following injuries to Partey and a personnel change by Arteta. The midfielder has started the last four matches for the Gunners on the bounce and looks untouchable.

Elneny wishes to remain at the club which he has called his “family” to fight for his place, and he made it known in his post match comments after Arsenal’s 3-1 demolition of Manchester United on Saturday.

“If Arsenal say: ‘We want you’, I don’t think about leaving,” the Egyptian said to journalists when asked about his future. “It’s my family for six years. I love this club.

“I always love a challenge and give 100 per cent all the time. I don’t decide who plays, but I keep going in training to show how good I am and to make him (Arteta) play me. If I don’t play I keep going until I get my chance.

“The contract and stuff, I’m just waiting for the club to decide what they want.”

“It’s been a long wait for me”: Elneny says if his run in the squad

The 29-year-old has been one of the Gunners most consistent performers in the past few weeks. He produced back-to-back stellar displays in the holding role against Manchester United and Chelsea, ties which Arsenal won with a combined scoreline of 7-3.

Before his current run of games, he had only played seven games in the Premier League for Arsenal, being preferred mostly in cup competitions, all of which the Gunners crashed out from early.

He spoke about his journey back into relevance in the squad and thanked Arteta for the chances he has been given.

“I’m really happy to be one of the starting XI for these two games,” Elneny said. “I gave everything in training to be one of the starting XI every game and I got my chance and I think I did well. Most importantly, we won the two games.

“It’s been a long wait for me but you have to believe. I have to train hard every day, focus all the time to wait for a chance and when it comes you have to give everything just to keep it.

“He (Arteta) just trusts me and he put me in the big games, and I have to thank him for that. I will keep going and not think about anything else, just focus on my performances to help the team reach our goal.”

Arsenal currently sit in fourth place, two points ahead of North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, but with a lesser goal difference than their rivals.

They travel to West Ham United for another London derby with hopes of keeping their top four hopes alive which will take them back to the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season.

Elneny will hope to help the Gunners achieve that goal and, with his latest comments, be with them as they take on the best of Europe again.