Mohamed Elneny has now explained the reason behind his love for Arsenal.
Arsenal paid £5 million to sign Mohamed Elneny from Basel in January, 2016.
Since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium, the Egyptian midfielder has proven to be a useful squad member.
Across his eight campaigns with the north London club to date (he spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Turkish outfit Besiktas), Elneny has racked up 158 appearances, across all competitions.
The £55,000-a-week ace is not a regular starter, but is highly valued by Mikel Arteta, especially for what he offers off the pitch. The Spanish coach has previously said of Elneny, “what Mo transmits to the team is special.”
That being said, Elneny can still contribute on the pitch when required. Last season was largely lost to injury, but in the 2021/22 campaign he stepped into the starting XI for a spell during the run-in and played a key role in a number of crucial matches.
Elneny clearly has a lot of affection for Arsenal, as he could have pushed for an exit in the hope of getting more regular game time elsewhere.
Mohamed Elneny opens up about love for Arsenal
Now, he has revealed what makes the club so special to him. As quoted by the official Arsenal website, Elneny said, “I tell you, all the players who play for this club say: ‘Arsenal are the best,’ but no one explains why. And that’s why. We work as a family, we really work as a family, and everyone talks to you here. Everyone says the same thing, and even the new players feel the same thing. When you come here you are already in the family.”
“You speak to the medical staff and it’s like you’re one of them. If you talk to the coaches, none of them think they’re bigger than you or anyone else here. They’re your friends. On the pitch we work really hard and we know what we want from each other, but outside of that we’re friends. The media team? At many clubs they are far apart, but here, they talk to us and we feel that they are one of us, we are one of them.”
“And that’s why, for me, this is the greatest club. OK, I play here, yes, but I promise you that if you go anywhere else you will not feel this sense of family. It’s unique.”
Arsenal fans and Arteta will all be heartened by Elneny’s comments. They reflect the impressive levels of unity and team spirit that have been engineered at the club in recent years. Having that sense of family and togetherness present at the club can prove invaluable whenever the team endures a challenging period on the pitch.
The 95-cap Egypt international may well end up staying at the Emirates Stadium beyond his playing career. Elneny has been tipped to become a coach, when he eventually decides to hang up his boots.
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