Arsenal have a clear preference between their two best players
Arsenal may be forced to make the difficult choice between retaining Mesut Ozil or Alexis Sanchez. If push comes to shove, expect Arsene Wenger to choose the goal scoring Chilean over the classy German.
The revelation that Arsenal will choose Alexis over Ozil shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Conventional football wisdom has always valued goals over assists. Wenger isn’t the manager that’s going to go against that time-honored trend.
Of course, the Gunners haven’t given up hope that they can sign both stars to new contracts in the near future. Unfortunately for Wenger and company, both players are reportedly seeking massive pay increases to remain in North London. Many pundits believe that Arsenal can only afford to pay one player unless both massively relent on their wage demands.
Don’t expect representatives for either star to advise their client to give in to the club’s demands. Each player is enjoying a brilliant campaign. If either star hits the open market, there will be numerous European clubs chomping at the bit to acquire their services.
Alexis is a prime target for Juventus, Manchester City and Chelsea. Many other clubs could elect to jump into the fray. Arsenal could easily find themselves with a bidding war on their hands. Selling Alexis could provide Wenger with more than enough cash to reinforce the rest of the squad.
Ozil wouldn’t bring quite as much money on the open market, but he’d also be a hot commodity. The German midfielder has openly flirted with the idea of a Real Madrid reunion as of late. The La Liga giants could certainly want to bring him back to the Spanish capital. Similar to the situation with Alexis, news of him hitting the open market could also spark interest from a myriad of clubs around Europe.
The truth is Wenger and Arsenal find themselves in a no-win situation. If they give in and sign Ozil and Alexis to new contracts then their wage structure will have been shattered forever. The rest of the squad will rush into Wenger’s office with fresh new contract demands of their own.
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On the other hand, if they let either star go, they will suffer a massive blow to their reputation with future transfers. They’ll still be regarded as a big club, but high-profile stars will worry that the Gunners aren’t ever going to be willing to compensate them fairly.
Keeping Alexis and selling Ozil is taking the middle of the road. Wenger can still sell the idea to future signees that the club will pay top dollar for top talent. On the other hand, they can cite Ozil’s departure as a warning to other players who begin to look for outrageous new contracts.
If push comes to shove, Arsenal will keep Alexis over Ozil. Goals still cost more than assists.