Whether or not you believe Arsene Wenger when he suggests that the Chilean international star Alexis Sanchez has not made it clear about whether he wants to stay at Arsenal or get a transfer away from north London this summer, and I for one think that the boss is not being entirely honest there, it does seem clear that Wenger and the club’s position is clear.
As reported by the Evening Standard this week, our manager was unequivocal with his reply when asked by the press while on tour in China about the striker.
He said, “The decision has been made and we will stick to that. The decision is not to sell.”
This is a lot more definitive than the usual, ‘we want him to stay’ or ‘I am confident he will still be an Arsenal player’ so I am going to stick my neck out and assume that he means it. In which case it should be good news for the Gunners in the coming months as we attempt to challenge for the Premier League title.
The only drawback could be if Sanchez does not perform as we know that he can because he is unhappy about not being sold. Another reason he may be a bit miffed is that the new striker signing Alexandre Lacazette looks likely to push the Chilean back out into a wide area after he did so well in the centre last season, which Wenger made clear in comments reported by Metro.
He said, ‘Alexis plays where he plays always, on the left, sometimes on the right but normally on the left.’
I get the feeling that there could be some tension between player and manager, at least in the early stages, but I also think that Sanchez will buckle down and his desire to win will shine through, especially if the Gunners look like we might be on course for a strong campaign.
What do you think Gooners?
Bob.