Arsenal star outlines the one ‘incredible’ thing Arteta did after he joined

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Mohamed Elneny is now Arsenal’s longest-serving player, and he is the only player within the current squad to have played alongside Mikel Arteta.

Elneny joined Arsenal in January 2016, just a few months before Arteta would retire, and he was effectively the replacement for him in midfield.

The Egyptian joined from Basel, with Arsene Wenger adding him to his squad when it became clear that Arteta and Mathieu Flamini were on their last legs.

The 31-year-old has now revealed that Arteta was a key figure in helping him settle at Arsenal when he first joined.

Elneny reveals Arteta conversations

Speaking to Arsenal club media, Elneny claimed that Arteta was crucial in helping him settle, and the Spaniard had even spoken to his agent when he first arrived.

“Everyone made me feel welcome but there were two people in particular who went out of their way to make me feel at home. The first was Arsène Wenger, the day I arrived at the training ground, and the second? Mikel Arteta,” Elneny stated.

“He was a player; he was the captain. As soon as I came onto the pitch he was talking to me and, after, we would go for lunch, and in the dressing room he was talking to me, all through my first few days here.

“What Mikel also did was talk to my agent. My agent came to the training ground to see me for a week or two after I came to Arsenal and Mikel was always chatting to him.

“Now, my agent says: ‘Mikel, he was really good with coming to me and telling me you were a really good player,’ because he knew my agent was going to tell me. And it made me happy. I think things like that, which seem to be part of the Arsenal DNA, are incredible.”

Arteta’s leadership at Arsenal

Elneny is not the first player to highlight Arteta’s excellent leadership skills during his playing days, with Jack Wilshere previously stating that he knew the Spaniard would go on to become a manager whilst he was Arsenal captain.

Arteta did suffer with a number of injuries towards the end of his playing days, but his leadership was paramount to winning the FA Cup, initially as vice-captain behind Thomas Vermaelen but also as club captain whilst he saw his playing time steadily decrease.

The signs were always there that Arteta had the necessary skills to step into management, and going the extra mile with Elneny after his arrival highlights what makes the Arsenal boss so popular with his current set of players.