Why did we buy Mohamed Elneny?
That was the question I think we were all starting to ask ourselves last season.
Arsenal’s form was in a hole, and the functioning of our midfield absolutely woeful. Meanwhile, Elneny had had a great African Cup of Nations, yet could barely get a minute on the pitch. He was allowed just three starts in the rest of the campaign following his return, and while that was partly restricted by injury and the emergence of the Xhaka-Ramsey partnership, it didn’t bode well for Mo.
When he arrived from Basel in January 2016, for a fee rumoured to be about £5m [but turned out to be just over £10m], hopes were high for the Egyptian. The much-vaunted Coqzorla partnership had not so much floundered as died an injury-forsaken death, and Gunners fans were being treated to the delightful combination of Ramsey and Flamini.
Sixteen appearances in all competitions in that first half-season were enough to see him win our goal of the season award with a screamer against Barcelona, and probably more impressively the unlikely accolades of the press.
Positionally disciplined, tactically astute and mobile, our energetic, athletic midfielder looked like the real deal for a bargain basement price.
I remember being so excited that we had signed Elneny, after the summer of 2015 where not a single outfield player arrived and the ensuing declining state of our midfield into a battleground hospital. We needed a player, we signed a player. Sorted.
The arrival of Granit Xhaka somewhat changed things.
Second fiddle
You don’t spend upwards of £30m on a midfielder without expecting big things of them. Xhaka’s strengths and weaknesses are obvious – his vision and passing is fantastic, he’s tall and strong, and he has a thunderbolt shot but on the other hand he’s not the quickest and his tackling is at times horrific.
For Elneny, things are a little more subtle, and while it’s probably unfair to call him a jack of all trades and master of none, he does have a more rounded, if less showstopping, set of attributes. Football is a sport that often rewards players with only one outstanding skills (hello Podolski’s left peg!) over those who can do everything well.
Before the turn of the year, he was an unused substitute as much as he got any pitch time, and even then, he only started half of the ten games he did appear in. Pretty much all of January and February was derailed by his country’s extended run in the African Cup of Nations, and by the time he had cleared a niggle of an injury up following the tournament, Elneny made just two further starts in 2016-17.
Going into this season, it was hard to see where he might fit.
Xhaka has become a more or less nailed on starter, and Ramsey seems to have cemented his claim to the position alongside the Swiss.
Changing positions
When was the last time Wenger properly converted a player into a new position?
I’m not talking about moving wingers and full-backs into a wing-back berth, I’m talking a genuine Kolo Toure/Thierry Henry style positional switch?
It’s been a while.
The pre-season friendlies in Sydney gave the first indications that he’s once again considering a conversion, and this time it is Elneny who is being evaluated for the move from central midfielder to central defender.
Logically, it’s a good fit.
Arsene is fond of a ball-playing defender, capable of both carrying and distributing the ball. Elneny, as a technically gifted midfielder is an ideal candidate for such a role. Plus, since we moved to three at the back, the central defender in that three functions very like the deep-lying midfielder who drops into a back four to collect the ball while the two centre backs split wide.
The only real difference is that in the three, that man is already moving and facing forwards, rather than travelling towards their own goal to collect possession.
It also has the added bonus of finding a place for a player who is talented, but unlikely to break into our first choice midfield pairing, and provides greater squad depth across a range of positions. It also potentially frees Koscielny up to play in one of the wider centre back roles and make better use of his speed and tackling without having to be quite so disciplined.
Squad depth benefits
For the three central defensive positions, we ostensibly had Monreal, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Holding and Gabriel last year, with Monreal also needed for the left wing back role. This year, we have added Kolasinac and Elneny as players who can do a job in the back three, but also cover left wing-back and central midfield respectively.
The more versatility in the squad, the better cover you have for injuries and suspensions in a smaller number of bodies.
Some clubs throw money around to try to maintain two top quality players for each position, but by building a squad with versatility, we can get that quality cover without sacrificing too much on cash or player happiness.
It’s a little like how the Ox is important cover for us in the attacking half of the pitch, but we’re trying to keep him happy with some game time at wingback.
That’s not to decry Elneny’s potential in the position either.
Admittedly things looked a bit shaky in the first game of preseason, when his unfamiliarity with the position wasn’t helped by the calamity jane performance of Ainsley Maitland-Niles alongside him. Vast improvement was needed, but also delivered, in the game against Western Sydney Wanderers.
Our Egyptian demonstrated he has the legs, the reading of the game and the tackling ability to thrive at centre back. He’s reasonably quick, light on his feet, and has the technical solidity to comfortably tidy up as the most central of the three defenders. And obviously, he’s clearly comfortable both carrying the ball and distributing it forwards.
Finally, there was a timely reminder of his ability to step forward and shoot on sight.
Remember the early days of Thomas Vermaelen, taking a few strides towards the opposition backline and then unleashing a screamer? A converted Elneny could be the reincarnation of the Belgian before he began to spend more time with the club doctor than the first team.
There are many reasons why Arsene might have chosen to convert Mohamed Elneny to centre back this season – for the good of the player, the defence and the attack – but the real test will be whether he believes in it enough to play the man there in tougher games to come.
The early indications suggest it might well deserve it.