Mohamed Elneny Thread (official)

[Özim]

I'd have rather we signed someone more established and well known than this guy, we do this all to often signing players like this and sometimes it works out but plenty of times it doesn't.

We've got plenty of money and yet we're always so cheap, Wenger spent all summer signing just a keeper and yet this is the best he can come up with in the transfer window, how disappointing.

I'm not having the BS about we need a midfielder so let's buy any old cr*p excuse, it seems to me that we could sign a sheep with two legs and some people would still try to tell us how it's exactly what we need and how it's better than signing Messi or Neymar.

As for this being the best we can find in January, what the hell were we doing all of last summer then, the excuses really don't wash anymore with regards transfers.

This guy if he does come good will take 1+ seasons to get use to the league IMO, just like all the others before him and in the end we'll pay the price for being cheap. Moreover where's the striker we desperately need?

[hobson's choice]

Central Mid and Fullbacks are the two positions to me, where you can find good players at a bargain price. Seems to have the necessary technical abilities. Hopefully he's up for the physicality and pace of the game in England.

[I am invisible]

Sounds like this one is all but done then? Nice that it's getting done early for once - we need it!

Can't say I've seen anything of this guy other than YT clips, but he sounds like he could be a smart buy? From what I've read, he sits somewhere between a DM and a holding midfielder (ideal, as we're currently without our two!), although he's sometimes talked of as a box-to-box player because of his stamina and tireless running? He's mostly deployed as the deepest midfielder for club and country though, so I would expect that he's being bought with a defensive role in mind? But even if I'm wrong on that, it sounds like he has all the attributes to be a solid DM at this level.

One big plus for me is that it sounds like we're buying a good personality and mentality again - something that we've not always done in recent years. The lad sounds really eager and humble, with a great work ethic and team mentality, and everyone who's worked with him has nothing but positives to say. It also sounds like another purchase that's being informed by this statistical analysis whathaveyou that the club purchased, so his numbers are going to be good: good tackler and interceptor, covers an insane amount of ground per game, very high pass percentage from deep (both short and long), is starting to score fairly frequently from range, etc. Very clean / fair player too, who doesn't give away a lot of fouls. Weakness is possibly his dribbling ability, but that's arguably something we don't want to see our DMs attempting too much of anyway? Arial usefulness is unknown - need to look into that - but I can't imagine he's any worse in that department than Coquelin, and he's got to be better than Cazorla?

Experience in the Swiss league doesn't really tell us much (although winning it 3 years straight won't have done him any harm), but he has a lot of European and international experience under his belt, so that might tell us more about his level.

Edit:
On a side note, I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be the first move in a bit of a midfield rebuild over the next couple of windows? Very easy to believe some of the recent talk that this could be the last season for Arteta, Rosicky and Flamini, and Wenger is starting to sound a little exasperated with the vague, never-ending nature of Wilshere's fitness problems? I don't think he's completely sold on Ramsey playing in a midfield 2, and Cazorla has just done his knee at 31 - doesn't necessarily mean he's finished by any stretch, but it's maybe a sign that we shouldn't be heaping 50+ games a season on his shoulders from now on? Could be wrong, but I can see several CM 'outs' and maybe another 'in' before the start of next season...

[I am invisible]

Extra reading...

ESPN - "Mohamed Elneny would be a perfect buy for Arsenal from Basel"

[selassie]

Extra reading...

ESPN - "Mohamed Elneny would be a perfect buy for Arsenal from Basel"

That's a great read and sounds very promising. I've said it before, Elneny sounds like a classic "Wenger" signing, a young under the radar midfielder with heaps of potential.

I'm looking forward to him hopefully contributing this season, should be interesting to see how he gets on.

[I am invisible]

That's a great read and sounds very promising. I've said it before, Elneny sounds like a classic "Wenger" signing, a young under the radar midfielder with heaps of potential.

I'm looking forward to him hopefully contributing this season, should be interesting to see how he gets on.

I'm happy to give Wenger and the club the benefit of the doubt on this one - DM is one of the positions where I'm more happy to go for someone a little more unknown, and my confidence in our scouting and recruitment team has largely been restored over the last couple of years: whether we've added a big name, a relative unknown, or gone for an internal solution like Coq and Bellerin, we've generally been getting it right lately...

[fakeyank]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...-basel-medical

Passed his medical apparently and waiting on a work permit. Bench for Newcastle?

[Özil's Panoramic View]

Have we completed yet another uninspiring and underwhelming.... oh, and our only signing for the January transfer window yet?

[Marc Overmars]

http://www.skysports.com/football/ne...eny-from-basel

Nearly done.

[Master Splinter]

"We are not close."

"I must tell you, you know more than me."

"We do not know this player."

"But we are looking, yes."