'I was in tears when Arsenal offered me a new contract'

One of the reasons why Arsenal brought in Jorginho from Chelsea in January 2023 was Mohamed Elneny. The Egyptian injured his knee in January and had to undergo surgery, which ruled him out for the rest of the current campaign. But, Arsenal made a classy move and just after he got injured, offered their longest member one-year contract, since the current one was expiring in June 2023. And that's something Elneny didn't expect.

“It was one of the happiest days in my life. The way they spoke to me, the way the entire club was happy about this decision, they made me cry this day. Arsenal football club, they know I love them 100 per cent, so much. They know I don’t want to leave. I want to stay and finish my career there, 100 per cent. I was injured and my contract was finishing and I could not play anymore last season, and they came straight away after I got injured, the next day and said: ‘Mo, what sort of contract will it have to be? We love you here and we and we want you to stay’. Really, this club is great” said Elneny to Evening Standard.

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But the Egyptian international is not only thinking about a new contract, he thinks long-term. Elneny vowed to come back from injury and take his place among Arsenal's first 11 and continue playing deep into his thirties.

“I want to finish my career when I’m 37 or 36, so I still have five or six years left to go. I’m working really hard like always and trying to go back into the first XI for Arsenal. For sure, it’s my goal this year. I know I’m coming back from a long injury and this is what I’m doing in the training ground; fighting, fighting and fighting to come back and be in the starting XI. That’s why I’m giving 100 per cent every day to show I’m ready to play and then when I get the chance to play, I have to show I can still be there and give my everything to this club” said Elneny.

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But even thou he plans to continue his playing career for five or six years, Arsenal's midfielder is already been doing his coaching badges and has secured his UEFA B License. He is not the type of player who will open a restaurant once he's retired.

“I am thinking about football all the time because I know we have had older players before who have finished their careers, and they don’t know what to do after. It is much better to think now, because then when you finish you can have something already built. The idea started from that because we want to stay in England but I cannot just stay in England without work after retiring from playing. I cannot just stay at home doing nothing. That’s why I was thinking about what business I can do. I cannot open restaurants because my passion is football, from day one” said the Egyptian.

So, he he has launched his own football team in the capital - Elneny FC. It was made in 2023 and trials are taking place over the next three weeks in Essex and London, with the hope of building a 25-player squad. They will train for a year, and then will join a league next season. And the Gunner already has a big ambition.

“I have told so many people and they are just laughing at me because when I say I want to play in the Premier League one day, they just say: ‘How? The Premier League is the best in the world and you want to get there from zero?’ Some people just don’t get the idea but for me, I love to dream. That is why I need good people around me. Of course, it could take 15 years, 20 years but we have the target where we want to be” he said.