Arsenal: Offloading Mohamed Elneny ideal progress releaser

Arsenal are reportedly looking to offload Mohamed Elneny in the January transfer window. Selling, for the right price, would be the ideal progress releaser.

I have spoken in the past about something that legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells describes as ‘progress stoppers’. They are players, predominantly veterans, that are perfectly serviceable contributors but can be replaced by younger, higher potential players that can replicate 90% of the original’s value.

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Most prominently, I have discussed this on the podcast with reference to players like Danny Welbeck and Nacho Monreal, who are fine players that serve a purpose but could perhaps be replaced by younger options with a brighter future.

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It is a risky move, to trust a younger player to replicate the influence of a more experienced player, but it can be a great way to smartly run a club, bleed through young prospects, and lessen the impact of a hefty wage bill, with experienced veterans tending to be more expensive. And it seems as though Arsenal could be about to sell one of the more obvious progress stoppers in the squad.

According to the Sun, — take that for what it is worth — Arsenal are looking to offload Mohamed Elneny in the January transfer window, hoping for as much as £15 million with Leicester City allegedly sniffing around his services.

Now, I do not care to comment on the validity or accuracy of the report, but if it were to happen, then, I believe, this would be the ideal example of selling a progress stopper and entrusting youth, a progress releaser, if you will.

With Matteo Guendouzi impressing greatly in his early time at the club, Ainsley Maitland-Niles back in the fray after recovering a broken leg and the likes of Joe Willock still at the club and looking for more opportunities, is Elneny really needed? And if he isn’t, then surely selling him, ridding of his wages and bleeding young prospects is a smart move to make?

This is not to say that Elneny is a poor player. And he does bring some key value to the team with his calm, composed play in possession invaluable in a team that is predominantly enthused with youth in the domestic cups and Europa League. Elneny being a progress stopper is not a slight on him as a player. It is merely a comment on the efficiency of Arsenal’s squad management.

These younger players need to be given opportunities to develop. And Elneny, at this current time, is restricting the number that Unai Emery can provide them. Given that Guendouzi and Maitland-Niles can perform Elneny’s role as successfully as the Egyptian, why not make the change, save some money, and invest in the future?

It is time for Arsenal to rid of progress stoppers, not because they are poor players, but because better and younger replacements can be fielded.