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da pinnacle： According to The Sun, Arsenal are hoping to raise £15 million from the sale of out-of-favour Mohamed Elneny, with Leicester City apparently interested in making a January move for the midfielder.
What’s the story?
Elneny signed a new long-term contract with the Gunners in March, set to keep him at the Emirates Stadium for the foreseeable future. However, since Unai Emery replaced the long-serving Arsene Wenger in the Arsenal dugout in the summer, the 26-year-old has fallen out of favour.
The 67-cap Egypt international has not played a minute of Premier League football yet this season, being restricted to Europa League and EFL Cup outings by the new boss.
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Whilst Elneny has impressed for Arsenal in the past, and has amassed 75 appearances for the club since his 2016 arrival in north London, it seems unlikely now that he has a future with the Gunners. Joining the Foxes in January would be a wise move for the midfielder.
An internal solution
Whilst Arsenal may be able to raise some useful funds via the sale of Elneny, they should not rush to replace the Egyptian with a like-for-like new signing. Instead, the central midfielder’s berth in the squad should be given to academy product Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
The 21-year-old has served admirably, given his relative inexperience, as a utility player for the Gunners. So far the 5ft 10in ace has featured in midfield, at full-back, and even in the forward line. Whilst this makes him useful to Emery, it is vital for the England under-21 international’s own development that he nails down a position soon.
His passing ability, physical stamina, composure in possession and defensive diligence make him an ideal replacement for Elneny in the middle of the park.