Alexis Sanchez isn’t convinced of Arsenal’s ambition
Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez is willing to commit his future to the Gunners, but wants some assurances first
Arsenal talisman Alexis Sanchez is perfectly willing to sign a new contract with the Gunners, but he has a few conditions. First, he’s looking for a big raise which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. The second, and more interesting of his two demands, is that he wants assurances that Arsenal will be spending big money on players in the future.
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The Sun reports that Alexis is looking for a three-year deal that will take his wages up to 165 thousand pounds per week. That shouldn’t be an issue for one of the Premier League’s wealthiest clubs. They’d be foolish not to tie their star attacker down.
The more interesting part of the story is that Alexis wants to talk with the club about their future plans and aspirations before he commits long-term. Some would say this is just Alexis practicing good business, but I think there’s more to this story than simple precaution.
It seems likely that Alexis was at least somewhat disappointed with the club’s lack of spending in the January transfer window. The Gunners only brought in Mohamed Elnenny to strengthen the squad while many thought they could use some more help at striker. Instead, Wenger and the club have opted to go with Olivier Giroud as their front man down the stretch.
It’s a pretty safe bet that Alexis isn’t satisfied with that setup in the long run. He wants to see a high-profile number nine signed at the club to maximize his own abilities. Having a world-class striker would only make the game easier for he and fellow attacking star Mesut Ozil.
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Speaking of Ozil, Alexis may be waiting to make sure he’s going to commit his future to the club long-term as well. He is also in intense contract negotiations with the club and while there haven’t been any rumblings of difficult in the negotiations, it is a bit surprising that a deal hasn’t been signed as of yet. After all, he is the perfect number 10 for Wenger’s preferred formation.
Alexis Sanchez is used to playing for a side that is competing for Champions League titles on a regular basis. He won’t be satisfied with a club that is quite possibly going to miss out on its best chance to win a Premier League title in years. He will want assurances that the club will invest in enough players to make sure they always are in contention. Time will tell if it’s just Alexis being careful, or well placed suspicion regarding Arsenal’s future.