Mohamed Elneny has been excellent for Arsenal in recent weeks after being reintroduced into the side by Mikel Arteta. Without the Egyptian's presence in midfield, the Gunners certainly would not be in the position they are in now as they look to qualify for the Champions League.
Arsenal lost three matches on the bounce against Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Southampton which dented the Gunners’ hopes of finishing inside the top four. Elneny didn’t start in any of these games, but since being bought into the team, Arteta’s side has won back-to-back games against top-six sides in Chelsea and Manchester United.
With Thomas Partey injured, Arsenal desperately needed a midfield enforcer to replace him until the end of the season. The last week proved that Elneny is certainly the most equipped in the squad to do so.
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Elneny joined Arsenal from Swiss side Basel in 2016 for £10m when Arsene Wenger signed him in the January transfer window to boost the midfield numbers. And since then, the midfielder has always been a fringe player, with his services only required for a short amount of games, in addition to him joining Besiktas on a season-long loan in 2019/20.
Now into the last three months of his contract, Elneny’s impact on the team is now more important than any period in the previous five years he has been at the club. If the Gunners are to achieve Champions League football next season, then the Egyptian’s performances in the last week and the weeks ahead would have been key.
Arsenal’s season took a major blow after it was announced that Partey had injured his thigh and would most likely miss the rest of the season after being substituted against Crystal Palace. Albert Sambi Lokonga was initially tasked with replacing the Ghanaian but he struggled.
With Sambi Lokonga starting in the middle of the park, Arsenal had lost two games in a row, as it became clear that the youngster still needs time to mature and adapt to the Premier League. Elneny’s presence in the squad was crucial as Arteta had to reintroduce him into the side after the struggles of Sambi Lokonga, and the 29-year-old thrived.
After an excellent performance against Chelsea where Arsenal came out 4-2 winners, it was his performance in the 3-1 win over Manchester United on Saturday afternoon where he really stood out. Elneny completed 52 out of 59 passes, made two tackles, two interceptions, and provided an assist.
Arsenal’s midfield looked seriously weak immediately after the absence of Partey, but the midfield has started to look solid again since Arteta decided to utilize a Granit Xhaka and Elneny pivot.
Elneny has always been a bit-part player amongst the squad since joining the club. However, his last couple of months at the club before his contract runs out could define how people view his time as an Arsenal player.
