Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny Combines The Two He Replaced

Arsenal picked up Mohamed Elneny in January when not much was expected. However, what he has become is a vital piece of the future.

Either Arsene Wenger is a sucker for the dramatics, or he, like everyone else, didn’t have the highest expectations for Mohamed Elneny. The Egyptian was purchased by Arsenal in January and immediately became an afterthought as Mathieu Flamini, Francis Coquelin and Aaron Ramsey all took precedence.

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Wenger chalked it up as Elneny ‘not knowing how tough life in the Premier League was’, which I had a field day/week/month with. But could it have been that Wenger really does have a flare for the dramatics and he was just saving him?

Whatever the case, it is clear what Arsenal have in their new man. What Mohamed Elneny essentially is is a combination of the two midfielders he replaced – Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla. Where those two had flaws, Elneny has strengths.

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Elneny took the strong shot, the physical strength and the tireless engine of Ramsey and combined it with the control, possession and passing of Santi Cazorla. In fact, it is pretty clear that Elneny actually retains possession and passes better than Santi Cazorla.

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Along with that, it also makes sense that Elneny left behind the negatives each player exudes. He does not have the enigmacity of Ramsey, nor does he get caught ahead of the play. He left behind Cazorla’s smaller size, age and his lack of goal threat. It is the perfect mathematical formula for success.

Mohamed Elneny already broke the record for most completed passes in a single game this year (122), beating Santi Cazorla and Fernandinho. And his Arsenal tenure has only just begun. He is maintaining a 92% pass completion – a truly remarkable number in a league such as the EPL.

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But along with the great passing, he is even pulling in defensive numbers right along the lines of what Ramsey and Cazorla recorded – around two tackles and two interceptions per appearance. But it is not exactly a necessity for Elneny to be recovering the ball with gusto when he never loses it.

Mohamed Elneny is a tank in possession. He is dispossessed on average once every two appearances. That tops Santi Cazorla’s 1.4 per appearance and greatly eclipses Aaron Ramsey’s 2.5 per appearance.

As a holding midfielder, the most crucial of talents is to be able to retain possession. Especially in a set up like Arsenal’s where steady build up is the name of the game. Losing possession not only completely halts the attack, but it sends a counter in the opposite direction with everyone out of position.

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Elneny doesn’t do that. Not only does he combine some of Ramsey’s and Cazorla’s strengths, but he expands on them as well. His ball retention and pass completion make him such a vital aspect and he may have an even more well-oiled engine than Ramsey. Good luck to the Welshman and the Spaniard when they return and have to duel Elneny for that spot.