Hello, everyone.
For a few years, European football has been different for Arsenal. We had a season without him. We had some good nights in the Europa League, but also some very disappointing ones in the later stages, and as a tournament it’s weird because you spend the group stage using it as a way to give marginal players a few minutes. He considers himself the poor relation in many ways.
The Champions League is different, and everything going well will be remembered next season. You have to play with your greats, and the dual challenge of Premier League + Champions League on weekdays using your best players more or less every three or four days is part of why Mikel Arteta wants his team to be ready for it’s. He keeps talking about it, and this is why.
Last night Liverpool took a 2-0 lead against Real Madrid, but then:
Liverpool-Real Madrid 2-0
Ancelotti: ????
Liverpool-Real Madrid 2-4
— Beardy McBeardface (@beardedhannon) February 21, 2023
It ended 5-2. At Anfield, geez. I know this is a less secure Liverpool than in previous years, but still. It’s a good reminder to us that the outlook for next season will be different, another step in our evolution, but let’s also be clear, it’s something I’m sure the players, the coach and the fans will enjoy.
Just don’t make Don Carlo do the eyebrow thing.
—
At Arsenal, the club announced yesterday that Mohamed Elneny has signed a new contract with the club that will take him until the summer of 2024. I’ve seen some eyebrows raised over this, especially since he suffered a serious knee injury a few weeks ago. he does, and it’s likely to keep him out for the rest of this season and possibly the start of next season, depending on his recovery.
Some would see this as an opportunity to move past a player who spent most of the season on the bench, replacing Thomas Partey in the Premier League (just 109 minutes overall), and who missed most of the games in the Europa League due to an injury suffered in the summer.
However, I think this has to be seen in the context of what Mikel Arteta has built at Arsenal during his time here. He has handpicked his squad pretty ruthlessly, getting rid of anyone who doesn’t fit in, at least in his opinion, regardless of their height, their contract status, their salary, and whatever else comes to mind. He has done it to create a club culture that requires 100% participation from every player, and the reality of that is now apparent when you look at the table. We’re having a great season, one we all hope will end on a high, and the squad building element shouldn’t be ignored.
As such, when one of your players is injured in training (we don’t know how either, it could have been an innocuous incident or a big challenge), and then you’re faced with a summer where you’re out of contract and rehabbing, which makes it difficult for him to find a new club, what is the right thing to do?
A few weeks ago, Arteta said:
Our way of treating people, our way of living together and what we expect from people is to give their all. When it’s the other way around and things get difficult, I think the club has to behave in the right way.
There is a precedent for this. Santi Cazorla’s contract was extended when he went through that terrible period with an injury that seriously threatened his retirement. The security that he gave her that year to then move on and revive his career was vital. He later said that, despite being fired the following summer, he was “eternally grateful.” In 2015, Arsene Wenger handed a one-year extension to Arteta himself despite the fact that he had suffered an injury the previous season that saw him play just 12 games. You have to imagine that it is something that he has not forgotten.
However, it is not about being nice to the old. It shows the players that the club has their back. When you ask them to run through walls for you every weekend, you have to show that it’s not just a one-way street. I think it is correct. Elneny has reportedly taken a pay cut to stay, showing his desire to contribute and remain a part of this group, and it has to be recognized that each player will see how a popular figure is treated in the locker room.
It could be them in the future, and I think people need to think about how teammates will respond to this on a purely human level. When you’re trying to convince some of the best young talent to stay and sign new contracts, it shows that the club will go after the players if they deserve it. It won’t be the be all and end of those negotiations, far from it, but being callous in our decision could definitely be detrimental.
As for the summer, I don’t think keeping Mohamed Elneny is going to have any impact on our desire or ability to improve the midfield. It’s not that his salary is an impediment to any potential transfer, this won’t cripple us financially in any way, and we’ll still have room in the team. We retain a decent squad player who can play a limited role when needed (as squad players tend to do), and someone who could be very useful when the Premier League and Champions League demands kick in.
Elneny says:
I am very proud to have represented this incredible club since 2016. The spirit and unity we have in our team at the moment is very positive and I am very happy to have extended my contract.
Union. You said so, Mo.
See you tomorrow.
