Gilberto Silva picks the one Arsenal player who was similar to Vieira

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Arsenal haven’t had a player like Patrick Vieira since the Frenchman left the club.

Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva spoke to France Football about his time as a Gunner all those years ago. 

The Brazilian formed one of Premier League’s best-ever midfield partnerships alongside Patrick Vieira under Arsene Wenger over 15 years ago. 

Arsenal have lacked the same kind of steel in the centre of the park since the two midfielders moved on which has been one of the biggest reasons why they haven’t quite been as successful as before. 

Gilberto was asked about Arsenal’s midfield problems and the Brazilian picked out one Arsenal player who he surprisingly claimed was of the same profile as Vieira. 

Gilberto said: “In recent years, the situation has been complicated at Arsenal. They have very similar players in the middle, with profiles that look alike and not really players in the “Patrick Vieira” profile, or even my profile. The only one who looks like it could have been was Mohamed Elneny, who was not playing.”

“But they didn’t really have that type of player to cover the defensive midfielder position. Arsenal always play forward, try to deploy an attacking game, and it is not easy to find someone able to combine the ability to play, to make a living, and to do the job of it. shadow in the defensive phase.”

Not many Arsenal fans would have picked Elneny as a player similar to Vieira but Gilberto seems to have seen something in the Egyptian to make that claim. 

Elneny is currently on loan in Turkey at Besiktas. The 27-year-old still has over two years left on his contract at Arsenal but it is very likely that he will be sold in the summer window. 

However, if the financial implications forbid Arsenal from spending a lot of money in the summer, Elneny would be a very good option for a squad player. 

The Egyptian can be used in the Europa League or in domestic cup competitions or when the first-teamers need a break but it is highly unlikely that it will happen.