Arsenal must swallow their pride and sell Alexis Sanchez
It’s time for Arsenal to move on
Arsenal have fought the good fight in an effort to keep Alexis Sanchez. It’s time for the Gunners to accept defeat and cash in on the Chilean star. If they don’t, it could set their squad back significantly.
The recent reports that Alexis has informed the club that he wants to leave this summer shouldn’t surprise anyone. The writing has been on the wall for weeks. Alexis’ outrageous wage demands made it very clear that he hasn’t been serious in committing his long-term future to the Gunners.
Arsenal, to their credit, have done nearly everything they can to keep their talisman. Arsene Wenger has done his best to reassure Alexis about the level of the club’s ambition. To that end, Arsenal have spent big this summer to bring Alexandre Lacazette to North London. He’s precisely the type of striker that Alexis would like to play with.
Really, the only thing the club haven’t been willing to do is meet Alexis’ wage demands. They’ve offered him a new and improved contract, but Wenger has steadfastly refused to completely concede to the star’s demands. Personally I find Alexis’ demands to be unreasonable, but I suspect quite a few Arsenal fans would rather see the club pay up. Irregardless, it’s clear that Arsenal aren’t going to capitulate fully.
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
Now the club and player are at a true impasse. Alexis only has one year left on his current contract and he’s made it clear he’s not going to sign a new deal. His recent declaration that he wants to leave because of Champions League football is nonsense. He wants to leave Arsenal because he wants to play at a bigger club that are willing to pay him more money.
A significant part of Wenger will want to call Alexis’ bluff. After all, having him in the squad for another season would be a huge boost to the club’s chances of qualifying for Champions League competition again. Without him, that become a much larger challenge.
Officials at the club can’t let Wenger engage in this sort of zero-sum game. Holding on to Alexis and letting him leave for nothing would be a disaster. Even a rich club like Arsenal can’t afford to take such financial losses.
That doesn’t mean that the Gunners should rush to accept the first offer for their star player. In particular, they should do everything they can to resist overtures from Manchester City and Chelsea. Shipping Alexis abroad should be their top priority.
Next: Arsenal regard Riyad Mahrez as a backup plan
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Alexis Sanchez is destined to leave the club sooner rather than later. It’s time for the Gunners to come to grips with that reality and make the best of things. That means selling one of the Premier League’s most talented attackers.