Arsenal have a problem on their hands
Arsenal fans might want to temper their excitement over signing Alexandre Lacazette. The new arrival has only served to increase Alexis’ wage demands. The Chilean star and the Gunners are growing further and further apart in contract negotiations.
Reports from England claim the Arsenal star is demanding a wage packet in excess of £400,000 per week to remain with the North London club. That represents a significant interest over his most recent communications to the club.
It’s pretty obvious that Arsenal’s decision to spend big money to bring Lacazette to England has emboldened Alexis and his representatives. The club can’t very well cry poor after splashing £50 million or so to bring in the French forward.
The question becomes whether or not Arsene Wenger purchased Lacazette to be Alexis’ partner or his replacement. The French gaffer definitely wants to play the two stars together, but the economic reality of employing both may make that impossible. Alexis’ demands are so high that only a few clubs in the world can hope to meet them.
More from Arsenal FC
- Gunners do just enough to claim victory in season opener
- Arsenal: We bottled it but I don’t care
- Arsenal complete record deal for Declan Rice
- Arsenal splurges on transfers as they aim to collect silverware
- Arsenal complete the signing of Kai Havertz
His wage demands also make him more difficult to sell. Recently, Bayern Munich reportedly pulled out of the race to sign him due to their own financial concerns. If the biggest club in Germany can’t afford to sign Alexis, how many European clubs realistically can pay the freight? Neither Real Madrid or Barcelona seem interested at the moment either.
That leaves Alexis two real options if he wants to leave Arsenal. He either needs to angle towards a move to PSG or see if he can grab a big money move to China. The latter is a much more difficult proposition now due to the changes in the Chinese Super League’s transfer rules.
That leaves France as his most likely destination. PSG are looking to add enough top flight talent to keep Marco Verratti in Paris. Alexis may not be able to fill the void created by Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s departure, but he would give Unai Emery’s attack a prolific focal point.
Next: Arsenal unhappy with Barcelona
Alexandre Lacazette will be a productive player for Arsenal, but his acquisition may present the club more questions than answers at the moment. Wenger needs to solve the question of Alexis’ status at the club before Gunner fans will really know how to feel about their prospects next season.