Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny has rejected the offer of a move to Leicester City, insisting that his future lies with Arsenal. Following Arsenal’s win over Chelsea in the 2017 Community Shield match at Wembley, he told reporters: “I am staying at Arsenal this season.”

The news comes as a surprise to both fans and bookmakers, after Arsenal had accepted a £10 million bid for the player last month. The August transfer window always provides plenty of speculation, and has gamblers flocking to sites such as www.onlinecasinokung.com to check the latest odds on player moves. Till Elneny’s surprising comments, a move to the Foxes seemed almost inevitable, but now, the odds have lengthened considerably.

Limited Opportunities

Elneny joined The Gunners in a £5 million move from Basel in January 2016, although he later told DMC that he was signed almost by accident. Arsenal’s scouts actually had their sights set on Swiss international Fabian Schar at the time, and were close to signing him. However, during repeated visits, they noticed Elneny’s strong performances and decided to sign him instead. Schar went on to play for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.

Since joining the North London club, though, Elneny has found it difficult to break into the first team. This is, perhaps, unsurprising, when he is competing with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Francis Coquelin and Granit Xhaka for a place in the starting XI.

In fact, he made only eight starts in the 2016 season, and featured in a further six matches, prompting widespread rumours that he would be seeking to advance his career elsewhere.

Staying Put

As such, the offer and acceptance of a deal with Leicester came as very little surprise to anyone. But Elneny seems determined to stick with Arsenal and cement a place in their midfield for 2017. He got off on the right foot, in as much as he was on the field for the entire 90 minutes of the Community Shield match, but even in this, cynics would be quick to point out that it might have been a different story if the injured Aaron Ramsey had been available.

Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare has declined to comment on the Elneny situation. Meanwhile, back in London, Arsene Wenger has made no secret of the fact that he is open to offers on a number of his players, Elneny included. So despite the fact that the Egyptian star has three years left on his contract and he has stated a desire to remain, there is every likelihood of further approaches.

A Glowing CV

Elneny started his professional career at El Mokawloon in 2010 at the age of 18. Less than three years later, he had moved to FC Basel, where he helped them win the 2013/14 Super League Championship.

He has also made 50 appearances for the Egypt national team since making his debut in 2011, scoring four goals, the most memorable being against Chad in a crucial 2018 World Cup qualifier at Borg El Arab Stadium.

Posted on August 10th, 2017 by scott
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