Arsenal faced Brentford in a behind-closed-doors friendly yesterday and Mohamed Elneny was forced off the pitch due to an injury after just 33 minutes.
It was mostly positive for the Gunners yesterday. Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White returned to action, Aaron Ramsdale kept a clean sheet and we score four goals – four more than what we’ve managed in the Premier League this season.
Elneny’s injury, however, is a concern – not just because we’re short of options in central midfield, but also as he has been heavily linked with a move to Turkey ahead of their transfer deadline on Tuesday.
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Injury to Elneny could cost him his transfer
Turkish outlet NTV Spor revealed this week that Besiktas are interested in re-signing Elneny. The Egyptian, labelled as ‘special’ by Mikel Arteta, spent a season on loan there and he became a fan favourite thanks to a bunch of fantastic performances.
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Besiktas were desperate to sign him last summer, but Arteta blocked a move. However, the Arsenal boss is reportedly open to letting him leave now, and a move really did look like a possibility before the game yesterday.
The report claimed that the Black and Whites have officially tabled an offer to sign Elneny. They wanted to get this deal done ASAP, but the former Basel man’s injury yesterday could force them to end their interest.
Egyptian outlet FilGoal revealed yesterday that Elneny has suffered a muscular injury. Although the true extent of the issue is unclear, the report claims that he will not be joining the national team for their upcoming game against Gabon.
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With just four days left in the Turkish transfer window, it will be interesting to see if Besiktas can get this deal done. It’s never ideal for any club to sign an injured player, but with just a year left on his contract, Arsenal will do everything possible to push him out of the door.
