Cult-hero spotted with Arsenal squad in Dubai after leaving the club for free

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Arsenal are enjoying their warm weather training camp in Dubai, as Mikel Arteta’s team prepare to take on the rest of the season.

The Gunners are six points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand, and are through to the last 16 of the Champions League.

There’s plenty left to play for, and Arteta will be delighted that he’s been handed a mid-season break to regroup with his squad, after playing 11 games in the space of 36 days since the start of 2025.

Arsenal jetted off to Dubai on Thursday morning and have spent the last few days embroiled in intensive training sessions.

Amidst this training, Arteta has initiated some team bonding exercises, and even invited a familiar face to meet the group on Monday morning to boost morale.

Mohamed Elneny spotted with Arsenal squad in Dubai

It’s been a difficult season for the Arsenal squad, plagued by injury, suspension and unfair media narratives.

Thus, the opportunity to get away from this storm and spend a week in Dubai will certainly have been welcome to many in Arteta’s ensemble.

Arsenal are working on various things throughout the break, such as how to cope without the injured Gabriel Martinelli over the next few weeks, although they’ve also been enjoying some down time.

Mohamed Elneny was pictured with the Arsenal squad in training on Monday, greeting various members of the team.

It’s been well documented that the Egyptian was a beloved figure in the Arsenal dressing room before leaving the club last summer.

Amassing over 150 appearances for the Gunners in his seven-and-a-half years at the Emirates, Elneny departed N5 for United Arab Emirates club Al Jazira when his contract expired last June.

His presence at Arsenal’s training camp in Dubai would certainly have been welcomed by the squad, as Arteta looks to improve the general mood of his players.

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Mohamed Elneny is a cult-hero at Arsenal

Signing for Arsenal for just £5 million back in 2016, Elneny arrived at the club as an unknown quantity.

Although he never quite surpassed the role of a squad player at the Emirates, he made valuable contributions in his spell in North London, and developed something of a cult-hero status.

Earning a chant in his latter years in N5, Elneny sent a heartfelt message to the Arsenal fans before his final game last season.

The Gunners faithful will never forget his undeniable devotion to the team, and that stunning strike at the Nou Camp inn 2016.