Arsenal Midfielder Is Open To Penning A New Contract: Should Arteta Keep Hold Of Him?

In a recent interview with the Independent, Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny revealed that he is open to penning a new contract at North London with his current deal set to run out at the end of this campaign. When asked about his future at Arsenal, Elneny said,

“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 play me.

“If I don’t play I keep going until I get my chance.

“If Arsenal say ‘we want you’ I don’t think about leaving. It’s my family for six years. I love this club.”

Elneny’s Bit-Part Role At North London This Season

The 29-year-old has played a sporadic role at the Emirates Stadium as he has often found himself behind the likes of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey in Mikel Arteta’s pecking order. Elneny has made 12 appearances for the Gunners this season, picking up two assists on all fronts.

The Mahalla-born sensation has seen most of his game time come off the bench which could be why he is only averaging 0.9 tackles, 1.0 interceptions and 0.7 key passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He has even been tidy when distributing possession from midfield after making 91.1% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).

Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Keep Hold Of Elneny Beyond This Summer?

Elneny is a tough-tackling midfielder who can scan the danger quickly to earn the ball back for his side in midfield. He has got the vision to create some decent openings for others around him.

However, the lack of game time has led to the Egypt international being inconsistent at times over the past ten months. Still, he remains a good passer of the ball, so Mikel Arteta would be wise to keep hold of him beyond this summer.

Elneny is still good enough to serve as a decent squad player at the Emirates Stadium and could help Arsenal cope with fixture congestion better in the upcoming campaign. Therefore, the North London giants should think about offering him a new, short-term contract and retaining his services beyond this season.