With only a single minute of Premier League action to his name this season, it’s clear that Mohamed Elneny has no future at Arsenal Football Club.
The 31-year-old Egyptian has made four appearances in all competitions throughout 2024 per WhoScored, but has only played a total of 72 minutes.
Fabrizio Romano, speaking exclusively in his Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, has already noted that it’s a possibility that the player leaves the north London outfit this month, and that precise scenario is necessary if Mikel Arteta wants to get his hands on Real Sociedad’s brilliant midfielder, Martin Zubimendi, according to Mirror (h/t Sky Sports).
A long-time target for Barcelona, Zubimendi has a €60m/£53m release clause per TNT Sports, and he has never shown any appetite for leaving La Real.
Therefore, any negotiations could prove to be both fraught and, potentially, useless.
Arsenal’s ace in the pack as it were is their manager, given that he was born in San Sebastian where Real Sociedad are based, he has played for them briefly in the past and is a hugely well-respected figure in Spanish football.
If anyone is going to be able to persuade Zubimendi to move it’s Arteta.
Of course, negotiations aren’t even a consideration until Elneny is moved on, and that’s not a foregone conclusion at this stage.