Report: £2.7m-a-year Arsenal man to leave in January; deal agreed

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Arsenal will allow midfielder Mo Elneny to leave the club for nothing in January, with reports claiming the Egyptian has agreed a deal with Turkish giants, Galatasaray.

Elneny, 29, sees his current Arsenal deal expire in the summer of 2022. Despite being labelled ‘special’ by Mikel Arteta previously, there is no new deal on the table for the midfielder.

And according to Sporx, Elneny has now agreed a deal with Galatasaray which will see him depart The Emirates in January. Elneny had initially been expected to sign for Fenerbahce, but a move to their big rivals now seems on the cards.

For Arsenal, it’s a chance to move a player on from the wage bill. Elneny reportedly earns around £50k-a-week (£2.7m-a-year). And while he’s not one of the highest earners by any stretch, that money is still useful to the club.

Elneny has struggled for games this season. He’s appeared just once in the Premier League. Overall, he’s made 133 appearances for the Gunners since arriving from Basel in 2016.

The arrival of Sambi Lokonga in the summer, coupled with the signing of Thomas Partey last year, has seen Elneny drop well down the pecking order at The Emirates.

TBR’s View: Elneny leaving Arsenal good for everyone

This is good news all around really. The player gets a move to a big European team, while Arsenal save some money on the wage bill.

Elneny has been a good servant for the Gunners. He’s never kicked up a fuss and when he has played, is always a 100% player. Yes, he might not be the most technically gifted, but he’s proved a useful squad player.

Galatasaray will be delighted to get Elneny. He’ll slot into their midfield and on a free-transfer, there’ll be no complaints at their end. Hopefully, the Egyptian can enjoy a good few years in Turkey now.