Confirmed: Bit-part Arsenal ace seals season-long loan exit

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Arsenal have confirmed that midfielder Mohamed Elneny has completed a loan move to join Turkish giants Besiktas for the rest of the season.

The 27-year-old joined the Gunners in 2015 and has gone on to make 89 appearances for the club. However, his role diminished last year following the arrival of Unai Emery.

SEE MORE: Done deal: Arsenal confirm stalwart’s exit to bring six-and-a-half year stint to an end

From making 32 appearances in all competitions in the 2017/18 campaign, the Egyptian international featured just 17 times last year. Coupled with the addition of Dani Ceballos this summer as well as the likes of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira battling for the same spot, he was seemingly set for another frustrating season on the fringes.

However, as confirmed on their official site, Arsenal have now given the green light to a loan exit to Besiktas, with Elneny now undoubtedly hopeful of securing a more prominent role this season to rediscover his best form.

Time will tell whether or not that leads to a second chance under Emery, or if this is merely the first step towards a permanent exit as the Guardian deputy news editor Ed Aarons has claimed on Twitter that the deal could include an €18m option to buy, as seen below.

That seems like a rather unrealistic figure for a player like Elneny who’s influence has been limited in recent times, and so it remains to be seen if Arsenal have the choice of offloading him permanently next summer or if they will have to make a fresh decision on his future.

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