Playing for 90
Fansided

Alexis Sanchez feels dangerously under appreciated at Arsenal

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 13 : A dejected looking Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal during the Emirates FA Cup match between Arsenal and Watford at the Emirates Stadium on March 13, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 13 : A dejected looking Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal during the Emirates FA Cup match between Arsenal and Watford at the Emirates Stadium on March 13, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Alexis Sanchez reportedly told Arsenal officials, “if you don’t want me, I’m leaving.”

If you thought Alexis Sanchez looked uncomfortable on the pitch against Barcelona in the Champions League clash between the two clubs, you should check out how he feels off the pitch. His latest comments make it clear that he is tired of being the club’s scapegoat.

More from Arsenal FC

Spanish news outlet DonBalon is reporting that Sanchez is growing exceedingly tired of the criticism that keeps coming his way. He was so frustrated in the aftermath of the recent defeat to Barcelona that he made the comment to club officials that “if you don’t want me, I’m leaving.”

Now optimistic Arsenal fans will chalk this up to the frustrated comments of a player who isn’t happy with the way his club is performing as of late. While I’ll acknowledge that is possible, it would be a pretty rash statement to throw out casually. It’s much more likely that there’s a great deal of truth behind Alexis’ threat to leave North London.

After all, Alexis is not a player that’s used to losing. He joined Arsenal from Barcelona where he rarely stepped onto the pitch without his team holding a significant talent advantage. The same can’t be said for his current situation at Arsenal.

A reasonable argument could be made that the Chilean attacker only really has one world-class teammate. German star Mesut Ozil may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s undoubtedly that caliber. After Ozil though, the Arsenal roster is filled with a lot more question marks than answers.

That’s what makes the wave of recent criticism towards Alexis so difficult to understand. Even when he’s not at his absolute best, he continues to put in performances significantly better than his less-talented teammates. Instead of shouting about what Alexis hasn’t done, perhaps Arsenal fans would be better off screaming about the ineptitude of the likes of Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud in recent weeks.

No matter what the source of Arsenal’s poor play, it obviously isn’t sitting well with Alexis. He knows that if he decides to leave the club that teams around the world will line up to pay big money for his services. Arsenal needs to be careful in their criticism of Alexis or they may see him walk out the door this summer to a lurking Real Madrid.

Related Story: Arsenal fans are wrong to blame Alexis Sanchez for club's struggles

Everyone associated with Arsenal has every right to be frustrated with their Champions League flame out and their inability to assert themselves in the Premier League title race. They need to be careful about making Alexis Sanchez the scapegoat though. His latest comments make it clear that he isn’t about to be the fall guy for the Gunners’ struggles.

Home/Arsenal FC