Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny delivers key reminder about this season

Arsenal’s thrilling win over Leicester City was ripe with lessons, and one that we would be smart not to forget was taught by Mohamed Elneny.

Arsenal couldn’t have delivered many more emotions in the home opener. They had won just one of their previous seven opening day matches and it didn’t look good for awhile. Every time there was cause to celebrate, Leicester City came in and crapped on the parade.

We are talking extensively about everything we took away from the match, but one of the messages I think we need to take care not to forget just because it doesn’t seem that pertinent was taught to us by Mohamed Elneny.

We need another midfielder. I greatly appreciate who Elneny is as a player. Truly I do. He is 100% effort and has the ambition to do so much more with himself. But he just isn’t there yet and we can’t be sure he ever will be. He’s a great utility player who can maintain control of the ball. And there is upside for more.

But if we want to get down to it and figure out the few places where the Gunners can improve, that’s where it needs to happen.

The partnership of Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka is solid and dependable. So long as they are both out there on the pitch. But between Ramsey’s injuries and whatever is in the cards (pun intended) for Xhaka, nothing is a guarantee.

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And the back up we have is Elneny. That’s it. Because don’t tell me Francis Coquelin is quality enough.

He simply doesn’t have the dimensions that we need out of a midfielder in such a crucial role. Not when the guy next to him, Xhaka (or Ramsey), provides so much more.

The transfer window is still open and I hope that this assessment isn’t getting ignored. There is depth all over this team but the holding midfield two isn’t one of those places. Arsene Wenger himself has said that he is open to spending on an extraordinary talent.

So, while Elneny has upside, as we saw from his beautiful pass into Alexandre Lacazette, that remains the only legitimate option and even that isn’t the quality that we should be striving for.

Maybe I sound spoiled, but after seeing the depth we have at the attacking midfield positions, I long for that same feeling in the deeper midfield spots. And one name would do it. One good signing along the lines of the players we’ve been linked to, would do the trick.

Next: 5 Things Learned Against Leicester City

Combine that with what we have in Elneny and we have a pretty reliable staff.

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