A Pharaoh breaking away from tradition

Egypt dominated African football in the mid-2000s, becoming the first team to win three straight Africa Cup of Nations titles (2006, 2008, 2010). One of the reasons for that dominance was that almost everyone in Egypt’s team played league football at home, which meant that the national side was more like a club, and team gelling was easier.

Mohamed Elneny of English Premiership giants Arsenal is one of few Egyptian stars of recent times who are breaking away from tradition.

 A Gunner by mistake

Mohamed Elneny was a typical signing for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger – a relatively unknown quantity at the time of joining the London club.

In fact, Elneny has recently told reporters how Arsenal signed him by “mistake.” In an interview carried by different British publications, Elneny said the Londoners noticed him while scouting his Basel teammate, Fabian Schar.

Mohamed Elneny was a typical signing for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger – a relatively unknown quantity at the time of joining the London club.

“My agent told me that Arsenal officials came many times to watch Schar but they were impressed every time by my performances and development and they want to sign me instead,” said Elneny.

Arsenal’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny (R) tackles Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on November 19, 2016. Photo: ANP/AFP Paul Ellis

Elneny, a holding midfielder with good technique and a hard-tackling reputation, joined Arsenal in January from Swiss club Basel for a fee of £5million.

Slow star in London

His performances have not been great so far. The 24-year-old has shown great promise, yes, but nothing spectacular.

But it has to be said that his showing against Manchester United in the one all draw at the weekend was his worst so far.

It could be argued, though, that Elneny has been thrown into the deep end by the Gunners.

“My agent told me that Arsenal officials came many times to watch Schar but they were impressed every time by my performances and development and they want to sign me instead,” said Elneny.

Wenger, in typical fashion, probably had signed Elneny to play the role of a back-up, one for the future, rather than the man supposed to marshal the club’s central midfield department so early on in his Arsenal career. The long-term injury to Santi Carzola has seen Elneny being asked to fill in the Spaniard’s big shoes, and he has often struggled.

Arsenal’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny (C) shoots to score a goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg football match FC Barcelona vs Arsenal FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on March 16, 2016. Photo: ANP/AFP Josep Lago

Also, on Saturday, Elneny appeared to be played out of position by Wenger, who used him as a box-to-box midfielder. He was terribly out of depth, lacking vision and the flair required of that position. Elneny can be a great midfielder for the club in future, but only as an anchorman. He is not versatile enough to play elsewhere.

Political turmoil

Elneny began playing football at Al Ahly, one of Egypt’s biggest teams. But he was frustrated by limited first team opportunities, and left to join fellow Egyptian club El Mokawloon.

He didn’t have much joy there as the political unrest in Egypt which took place some four years ago took toll on every aspect of life in the North African country.

The national league was postponed in 2013 due to the disturbances, and players’ careers left in limbo.

File picture: Basel’s Mohamed Elneny gestures during an UEFA Champions League group B matchday 4 soccer match between Switzerland’s FC Basel 1893 and Bulgaria’s PFC Ludogorets Razgrad in the St. Jakob-Park stadium in Basel, Switzerland, on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. Photo: EPA/Patrick Straub

The future looked grim.

Aged 20, Elneny left for Europe to advance his career after Basel invited him for trials.

He impressed and was signed, becoming a regular for Basel until Arsenal came calling in January this year.

Elneny has been capped 39 times by Egypt in addition to being part of the country’s Under-23 team that participated at the 2012 Olympics in London.

In keeping with tradition, Egypt still prefers home-based players in the national team. But Elneny and a few other overseas stars are too good to ignore.

He will be one of the star attractions when the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations kick offs in Gabon in January.