Arsenal fear Alexis Sanchez will follow in van Persie’s footsteps
Arsenal fear Alexis Sanchez could be headed to Manchester United
Losing Alexis Sanchez this summer would be a bitter pill for Arsenal to swallow. Losing him to Manchester United would be an abject disaster. Unfortunately for the Gunners, those associated with the club are starting to consider that outcome as a legitimate possibility.
The Daily Mirror report that Jose Mourinho and United are contemplating a massive summer swoop for the disgruntled Arsenal star. Such a move isn’t entirely without precedent. It wasn’t so long ago that Robin van Persie elected to leave Arsene Wenger’s squad to ply his trade at Old Trafford.
That would represent one of the worst possible outcomes for Arsenal. Officials at the club are beginning to understand that keeping Alexis might not be a realistic possibility. Furthermore, it might not even be the best thing for the club. His bad attitude is seen as partially responsible for the club’s recent struggles.
That doesn’t mean they want to ship him off to a Premier League rival though. They’d much rather find a way to ship him somewhere outside of England. That would narrow the transfer market for the Chilean star, but it shouldn’t drastically change the financial offers. Arsenal would gladly sacrifice a few million pounds to make sure they aren’t forced to play against Alexis in domestic competition.
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Of course, moving to United wouldn’t be a bad outcome from the player’s perspective. Alexis’ largest issue with Arsenal is their inability to garner silverware. That hasn’t been an issue for United. Jose Mourinho has his faults, but failing to put his clubs in contention to win competitions isn’t one of them.
Alexis certainly wouldn’t represent a perfect fit for Mourinho though. He’s a tremendously talented goal scorer, but he isn’t exactly world-famous for his defensive work ethic. The talented midfielder might even be the type of player that Mourinho would have classified as a luxury player during his time at Chelsea.
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The transfer saga of Alexis Sanchez is likely to get much more complicated before it reaches its final conclusion. Arsenal fans will sincerely hope that Manchester United don’t have a prominent role in what’s sure to be a dramatic several months in North London.