Five January signings that could win Arsenal the Premier League title

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Mohamed Elneny (FC Basel)

We’re stretching the definition of ‘potential’ with this singing, because Elneny looks certain to become an Arsenal player in the next few days. The 23 year old Egyptian midfielder is an unfamiliar name in England to all but a few aficionados. In this respect he joins Gabriel Paulista, Nacho Monreal and going further back Laurent Koscienly, as a player Arsenal have sourced from left field and identified as having the potential to develop further. Arsene Wenger spoke last year about how Arsenal are making greater use of stats and analytics to recruit players (the clubs owns the sports analytics company StatDNA). Perhaps Elneny has been picked up via this method of analysis.

Though primarily a defensive midfielder, any Arsenal fans hoping for a combative ‘destroyer’ will be disappointed. Elneny is more constructive than destructive, and looks to control games from deep through his passing over long and short distances. With Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere all injured in recent times, Arsenal have lacked an assured ball retainer to complement the more anarchic Aaron Ramsey in the middle of the park. Though Arsene Wenger will stress the need for a period of adaptation, given the injury situation and the fact Elneny is 23 years old, I’d expect him to go straight into the first team upon arrival.