Mohamed Elneny's run as Arsenal's longest-serving player will continue after he penned a one-year contract extension, but things could have been very different had Unai Emery had his way.
Elneny has now donned the Arsenal shirt under three different Gunners' managers in the form of Arsene Wenger, Emery and current boss Mikel Arteta. In that time, the Egyptian international has divided opinion, with the former and the latter clear fans of the midfielder, but the same cannot be said for Emery.
During the Spaniard's 18 months at the helm, Emery rarely used Elneny and even told the former Basel ace that it was in his best interests to leave the club in the summer of 2019. The then-Arsenal boss was remarkably honest and open in what he thought was the best course of action for both Elneny and defender Shkodran Mustafi.
"Last year with Mustafi and Mo, when they didn't play they weren't happy. I spoke with them a lot of times last year and in pre-season, and I think it is positive for them to leave and sign for another team where they can be protagonists, be happy and continue their careers.
"They are very big players but for one circumstance or another, they are going to have fewer chances to show their capacity or to be happy with us and the minutes they play in matches.
"But they know the situation and really, really I am wishing the best for them – and I think now the best for them is to be protagonists in another team, to sign and get another challenge with another team."
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Reading those same comments now three-and-a-half years later puts into perspective how impressive it is for Elneny to still be at the Emirates having been written off by his former boss.
It is a very different story under Arteta, who has often gone public with his praise and admiration for the 30-year-old who he actually shared the dressing room with as a player for half a season.
At the tail-end of last season, the Arsenal manager waxed lyrical over Elneny as he claimed: "I have always said that for me he’s one of the most important players in the squad.
"For what he does when you give him the chance to play and for the things that he does when he doesn't play.
"He's a phenomenal person and a great footballer that sometimes doesn’t get the credit he deserves."
Arteta is potentially the best-placed to comment on Elneny out of all three of himself, Emery and Wenger given he has now played alongside him and managed him.
That's not to say Arsenal icon Wenger didn't share a similar viewpoint, with the Frenchman claiming that Elneny is a "modern-day midfielder" with "great technique" a year after he stepped down as manager.
Having signed the new deal that keeps him tied to the Emirates until the summer of 2024, Elneny told the Arsenal website: "I’m so happy, I love this club and our supporters so much and I’ll give everything to help us be the best we can be, every day I’m here.
"It makes me so proud to have represented this amazing club since 2016. The spirit and togetherness we have in our squad right now is so positive and I’m so happy I have extended my contract."
