Arsenal have completed the signing of Mohamed Elneny from Basel, the club has confirmed
The Gunners had agreed a £7m deal with Basel last week but the deal was held up as the club looked to secure a work-permit and visa.
Elneny, 23, will provide Wenger with more options in defensive midfield where they are currently few options with the likes of Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla out injured for the foreseeable future.
Speaking in the wake of their 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday night, the Arsenal boss confirmed the arrival of Elneny, who is in contention to make his debut at the weekend.
“Elneny will of course join us. He has joined us,” Wenger is quoted as saying by the London Evening Standard. “We will see if he can qualify for Sunday.”
The Egypt international’s performances in the Europa League this season would have been particularly eye catching for Wenger, with the defensive midfielder among the top 20 rated players in the competition this season (7.70 WhoScored rating).
Moreover, only Mirko Valdifiori averages more passes per game (105) than Elneny (92) in the Europa League this season, which would suggest he will have no trouble slotting into Arsenal’s sharp passing game as someone who likes to get on the ball often.
For more stats on Mohamed Elneny, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
