Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny Officially Gets It

Arsenal finally deployed Mohamed Elneny in the starting lineup and given what he was able to do, it’s pretty clear that he understands what he’s here for.

The big debate over the past two months has been what exactly Mohamed Elneny was purchased for. Arsenal desperately needed a defensive midfielder, but Arsene Wenger was very adamant about Mohamed Elneny not being that man. Arsenal could have used another striker, but clearly Elneny was not that either.

Coming from the Swiss Super League for a bargain price of £5m, it’s not like he was a gangbuster. He wasn’t supposed to take the Premier League by storm and Arsene Wenger clearly was not going to allow that to happen anyway.

That left the painful reality that Mohamed Elneny was nothing more than a depth signing. Which isn’t really painful, another midfield option is always nice to have. But with how much Wenger was weening Elneny into the flow of play, it was painful. He was showing excellent command against Championship side clubs like Burnley and Hull City but was never given starts against Premier League clubs.

Suddenly, Wenger did the unthinkable and made a change, putting Elneny in the base of Arsenal’s midfield alongside Francis Coquelin. In the North London Derby, no less.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

Long story short, Elneny did not rock the socks off the pitch. He didn’t dazzle or put on a show. Some Arsenal supporters even complained that they weren’t sure why Elneny was here. But it was pretty clear. He simply did his job. And suddenly it all should make sense. Not just for us, but for Mohamed Elneny as well.

When Elneny first arrived, his performances were met with heavy criticism from the boss. Wenger said such things as that he played with too much caution or too securely. It was clear that Elneny wasn’t full grasping his role on the pitch and that is why Wenger kept restating that the Egyptian simply wasn’t ready. It was all a bit baffling. Again, not just for us, but probably for Elneny as well.

Against Tottenham, it may have clicked. Mohamed Elneny certainly thinks it did. He said, as quoted by King Fut: “I proved to everyone that my abilities to be in the starting line up through my performance today, I can feel Wenger’s confidence in me.”