Arsenal receive Mohamed Elneny transfer bid from Besiktas

The transfer window may have slammed shut for Arsenal and the Premier League but across Europe there are still opportunities available for players to depart UK shores.

Concluding the unprecedented window that Mikel Arteta had preempted having broken the club’s record spend for a single window, six players arrived aiming to avert the fortunes of a club in disarray.

Rock bottom of the Premier League table on account of numbers and results that needn’t be repeated since it’s getting painful to keep listing, the squad is undoubtedly in a healthier position to try and attempt achieve that rare feat known as ‘winning’ again.

Improvements in depth or the starting lineup across six positions, there were also a whole host of departures. Only one left for a permanent transfer sum as Joe Willock moved to Newcastle for £25m, even if the was one of the midfielders most would have been happy to hold onto.

Arsenal receive Mohamed Elneny transfer bid from Besiktas that Mikel Arteta’s side can’t accept due to their limited central midfield options

One everybody would have been keen to see sold was Mohamed Elneny.

With the arrival of Albert Sambi Lokonga the Egyptian is now further down the pecking order and set to be a bit-part player either to come on late in matches to shore things up or cover for others in case of injury or otherwise. That’s fine and manageable, so long as he isn’t making 41 appearances like last term.

One of those rumoured to be on the way out on deadline day, the dearth of options in that department with a replacement unachievable during that timeframe meant he was always going to see out his final year.

Not if Besiktas have anything to say about it.

Various outlets in Turkey, including NTV Spor and AS Spor, have reported that negotiations have started with Arsenal over his permanent signing. The former state a bid has been lodged to bring the 29-year-old back to his former stomping ground.

This is great news. Firmly in the ‘deadwood’ category, his exit would be another step towards sculpting a more well-rounded and trimmed squad.

That being, of course, if Elneny wasn’t one of only five central midfielders on the books. Five, that’s it, and one of those recently expressed his desire to be playing at right-back again. This is great news…two months ago.

It’s sad that it’s come to this, but Arsenal can’t let Elneny go even if he has one year left on his deal and is, for all intents and purposes, fairly dreadful. While he’ll be leaving for AFCON anyway, it’s an insane conclusion to draw that Thomas Partey (also off to AFCON and injury prone), Granit Xhaka (another red?), Sambi Lokonga (young) and Ainsley Maitland-Niles (not good enough) are sufficient options to see out a Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup season.

Miguel Azeez has also left on loan, making the answer to any advances for Elneny a tough one to call. Is four midfielders really enough? Surely not.