He may have just signed a new contract with the club, but last summer Mohamed Elneny had a decision to make.

The Egypt international had been linked with a move away from north London, but he insisted he wanted to stay and fight for his place.



"There were some clubs interested in me because I was not playing enough games and maybe they thought they could sign me or even have me on loan," Elneny told Arsenal Player.

"I heard about this in the news just like everyone else and I was not interested at all. I spoke with the people here at the club and I told them, 'I don't want to leave. I want to fight for my position.'

"I trust myself, I have a dream to pursue and I am not going to give up on it. I dream big and this is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I want to stay.

"The club welcomed my decision to stay and that was the end of it. People were saying, 'You aren't playing enough games, maybe you should leave or go on loan somewhere' but I wanted to prove myself.

"I played the first game of the season in the Community Shield and I proved I can play for Arsenal and will continue to fight for my position."