Egypt lost the African Cup of Nations final to watch on as Senegal finally lifted the trophy after so many nearly moments.
Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny struck a dejected figure as he watched his compatriot Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane lift the coveted trophy. The Gunners will now welcome Elneny back to the club as the final of their AFCON absentees to finish their midseason commitments.
Nicolas Pepe and Thomas Partey have already returned, the latter even being sent off prior to Elneny re-joining the fray. Whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang managed to join up with the Gabon international side, return and leave the club on a free transfer to Barcelona.
Arsenal struggled throughout January with a lack of midfield options and ended up using youth player Charlie Patino in the FA Cup third-round defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Sambi Lokonga became the go-to figure in the centre and despite the 22-year-old giving his best after a long absence from first-team affairs, the Gunners lacked the strength in depth and suffered defeats and Cup exits because of it.
It was, partly, their own doing considering Ainsley Maitland-Niles was allowed to leave on loan for Roma. Whilst the aforementioned red card for Partey was not the sole sending off of the month as Granit Xhaka received a two-game suspension for denying Diogo Jota a supposed clear goalscoring opportunity.
Elneny has been a player unable to become a stalwart of his club side despite being very much a familiar figure for Egypt. His passive style of play to pass safely and in a controlled manner may grant consistency but little incisiveness.
The 29-year-old can pop up with the odd screamer from range, however, beyond these, he remains a rotational figure at best and for good reason.
Despite these restrictions though, Elneny’s consistent and safe hands were missed this winter and as the season comes to a head with a top-four chase on, Elneny may well have his own part to play in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
The worry for some though is that with his contract up at the end of the season, the club will be tempted into an attempt to renew his deal rather than upgrade.
Eddie Nketiah is in the same position and Arteta and Edu have tried to convince the 22-year-old to stay despite fan reservations over his quality.
Arsenal need to improve on their existing options both in the starting eleven and the deeper aspects of the squad. Extending Elneny would not be the path that takes the team forwards, instead, staying very much stagnated whilst their rivals continue to look upwards.
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