Despite the Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger constantly reiterating that neither Alexis Sanchez nor Mesut Ozil will be sold this summer, there a very conflicting reports in the media, specifically in regards to the Chilean. The latest twist in the Alexis Sanchez saga appears to be that the Gunners’ talisman will complete a move to Premier League rivals Manchester City ‘in the coming days’, according to Gerard Romero of the publication, Sport.
The news comes on the heels of reports that Bayern Munich had pulled out of the race for the forward due to his exorbitant wage demands. But with City having no such problems in terms of wages and with Champions League football also on offer at the Etihad, it is understood that the offer from the Manchester club would be too good for the 28-year-old to turn down and stay at Arsenal.
What worries me the most is the fact that the source of the news, Gerard Romero, is understood to be a friend of City boss Pep Guardiola and has an incredible track record in terms of City transfers since the former Barcelona boss took over, breaking the news about deals for Leroy Sane, Nolito, John Stones and Gabriel Jesus long before they were officially confirmed by the Sky Blues.
Moreover, Alexis is well acquainted with Guardiola from their time at Barcelona. In fact, it was the Spaniard that signed a young Alexis from Udinese for the Catalan giants, with the Chilean being a regular in the starting eleven and an integral part of Barcelona’s system at the time. Surely, this previous association will also play an important role in Sanchez’s decision.
For me, this looks like it could be a repeat of the Robin van Persie saga where we ended up strengthening a rival team. The Dutchman scored 30 goals as Manchester United marched to the title, and there can be no debate that Sanchez can do the same for City.
With Wenger claiming a few weeks ago that the club are in a much better position to hold on to players compared to the time when van Persie was sold, it remains to be seen if Le Prof can back up his words and block Sanchez from joining City, BUT you have to remember Wenger’s actual words. He said: ‘They [Sanchez and Ozil] will stay at the club and hopefully we can extend their contracts,’
‘You cannot weaken the club and weaken the team.
‘You want to strengthen the team. Unless you find a player of the same calibre.’
So if Wenger buys a replacement, like Rodriguez or Mbappe, will he then be able to announce Alexis’ departure?
AT
Wow this elections results is real cat and mouse,1st the conservatives are in front then Labour go ahead and then the Conservatives back in front wow it’s brilliant.
WENGER,, SAYS SANCHEZ AND OZIL GOING NO WHERE,,,, so wenger better be telling the truth,,,, WE NEED BOTH OF THEM,,,,, PLUS Mbappe,,,,and lacazette,,,, to rotate the team selection,,,,,,, aided by turan,,,RAFINA,,,
Didn’t he say we can’t lose both Fabregas and Nasri and still call ourselves a big club? What happened next, hmp? Yep, he sold them both off.
He did say that. However, he has also said we are in a far better position financially now to say no to rivals. I definitely have my doubts but, give the man a chance and get behind him!! he’s here for another 2 years regardless.
He’s had enough chances
GRRRRR!!! So annoying!!! We always buy players when we lose our current best we just never improve! Example, we buy Cazorla and Giroud and sell RVP.. Had we bought them the season before we would have won the league! The season wenger decided to buy no outfield player is why we are where we are right now we should be signing a world class player year in year.
When Cavani was linked seasons ago everyone said he wasn’t good enough for Arsenal. Yeah 49 Goals last season.
Higuain was linked before he went to Napoli.. No bid.. He goes for £35m and scores 88 goals in 3 seasons then is sold for £78m it’s ridiculous the players have been available we just haven’t got them. That’s why RVP left he could see he was by far better than the players around him and Alexis is at that place now. AHHHH so frustrating!!! I’d prefer to sign 2 truly WORLD CLASS players AND keep Alexis whether he signs or not…
Put it this way.. We sold RVP for £25m.. He won United the league and the next season was pretty average. Had we kept him that season and let him go to United for free the next season we could have been the ones celebrating the league that year.
Let’s show some cahonas!!
A feeder club can’t show cahonas when it doesn’t have any.The ambition at Arsenal died 10 years ago.
Even in ”Galacticus” how many get close to compared with Ronaldo now. You cannot have a team full of perfect players, or prefered ones at the same time. That’s fantasy team, no exists.
The sharks are circling.
Since these very strong rumors about Arsenal rubber stamping Sanchez move to City i find the song of the Kaiser Chiefs “I PREDICT A RIOT” very appropriate.
If Sanchez wants to leave, he will. We can go on and on about how we can’t strengthen our rivals but if he doesn’t want to play for us why keep him and get nothing. He’ll go to city on a free next season anyways. The problem with what happened with Van Persie is we never adequately replaced him (still haven’t). Wether it be Rodriguez, mahrez, Lemar plus Mbappe (or another top striker) brought in to replace Alexis and add to the squad, I’d take 60 mil from city for a player in the final year of his contract if it came to that.
Yes, except you want riot, you cannot keep a rebellious player or contract rebel.
No…..can never go to a rival. Keep him this year, make sure to qualify to CL next season, PAY him the wage he is asking for to stay with us !
I don’t get it ! So when we finally have the superstar, and he delivers! YET, we can’t seem to pay him the market wage for his caliber !!!!
Yes, I think it could be their strategy to sign a big name player, then let Sanchez leave, to avoid the angry mob.
I hope Sanchez’s next destination is not one of the Premier League clubs, as he could be very dangerous there (like Van Persie). Except if the offer is more than 70 millions, which Arsenal can use to purchase another big name player.
I just wish Arsenal could be wiser in buying a new expensive player this time. We don’t need another fancy player or a brute that relies too much on his physical attributes.
Whoever the big name player is, he must be able to dictate the game and doesn’t depend on his teammate too much to perform well. He also shouldn’t play too safe (prefer to take risks with forward passes and dribblings) and should not be a regular benchwarmer in his previous team.
How would that make sense? As soon as you make the team better by bringing a top talent even a world class player you go ahead and sell another one.
The point of this window is to prove to Sanchez and on another note Özil that you have “changed” your ways, views and that you have ambition to win.
That translates by putting your money on the table and buying top players. If they see that you bring 4 players with 40+ million price tags and even maybe a 75+ million guy what does that say? On top of it if your offering the best wages out there who knows?
Will se but if he is to go to City make it a swap and get 1 or 2 of there players upon which you can (re)build a proper squad for 38 games.
I agree on the swap deal thing. If they give us De bruyne for Sanchez then I won’t be too upset. However, 4 signings of 40-75M is simply not sustainable in my opinion..only man city can afford to do that kind of business. Even winning the league will not return that money.
Well if he has a rumoured 150m pounds and if sells without being stubborn players like Walcott/Giroud/Gibbs and Perez. Those for sales will bring the extra 50-60 millions extra you need. 200m/40m that’s 5 players so if you go ahead and buy 3 for around 40m that’s 120 you still have 80m pounds to spend!! Again that would be the ideal window. Even if you buy just 3 more even better 200/3 gives 66 million pounds. If with those figures you can’t go and get the proper players to make this team better and attempt to convince both Sanchez and Özil to give it another go I don’t know what will.
Maybe you are right but of the rumoured 150M we still have payment commitments from previous transfers that have not been completed, then wages which will be a big issue since a 40-60M player will probably be on 180-200k, also we will most likely be getting a reject like James Rodriguez or Turan since we are out of the champions league and if they are on the same level as ozil then we might as well not bother with them, then add onto the fact it may not be easy to get rid of our unwanted players like Walcott for example who will pay his 140k ontop of a 20M transfer fee? And yes it has to be 20M if we are to make 50-60 out of player sales. I really don’t think throwing money at our problems will solve them…Man utd spent millions and are still looking terrible.
That correct Arsenal should demand a player from any interested team that will equally hurt. If its City, ask for De Bruyne, Leroy Sane or Aguero and some money; if its Bayern, ask for Lewandowinski, Douglas Costa or Kingsley Coman; if PSG as for Cavani, Di Maria, Verratti or Rabbit and some money. If its Juventus – Dybala all the way. My point is that whoever wants to cause Arsenal pain by capitalizing on this fragile situation should equally feel a major pain otherwise lets retain and replace him and keep him on the bench for the season to teach him a lesson or two in loyalty, by the time his contract expires he willl be 30 and match rusty and it will be west ham and Lyon that will be looking to sign him. The reasonable thing for Sanchez to do is for him to demand major world class signings from Arsenal as a pre requisite to sign a new contract, not arguing on 280k to 350k.
Sanchez is not irreplaceable,if he wants to leave he should be sold coz even with him in the team,arsenal still finished 5th anyway.Tht means he aint tht kind of player to carry a team in his shoulders by scorin crucial goals where nobody would imagn a goal could come l,he’s jst a team player like anyone else jst his work rate is abit higher
Another fact,players who desire quitin a team dnt always have tht team in their hearts,they jst work for money.So Sanchez or whoever wants to leave to b allowed,Arsenal will still be here
Eric sad truth is that Sanchez did carry the team. I don’t think that without Sanchez we would have finished 5th.
I think you are wrong.. soon as Sanchez started sulking about the new contract he didnt play very well at all and also infected the team spirit.. dont people remember we were top just before his contract issues started? Ozil the same.. you can argue that Arsenal should have offered big contracts then but for me the players should have performed better and we would have minimum got CL.. maybe even had a chance to win PL. I think both Ozil and Sanchez started to play well near the end for their own selfish reasons to get a big money transfer.. well no one has come in for Ozil so guess he will stay… sanchez I think will be allowed to leave once a new striker / winger has been signed.
but players are recognized by trophies won, records made and records broken. you play for Arsenal and look around there is Ramsey, Elneny and co. while Ronaldo is surrounded by Bale and other calss players. people are winning UCL and league titles but you are waiting for your manager to make the right choice of player to buy in the transfer window, and he might as well buy no one.
personally I would do what Cesc, Van Persie and Nasri done, they won a lot of cups since they left, so call Sanchez whatever names you like, he has that winning mentality that other average Arsenal players lack
True…not sure why we keep around players like El neny, Coquelin, Gibbs, Walcott, Mertesacker, Gabriel and Ramsey. These guys are mid table quality and guess what? We are slowly heading there..
James R is not a replacement for Sanchez and neither is Mbappe. They would be nice signings for the club in addition to Sanchez but not replacements for Sanchez.
Trade Sanchez for Aguero AND sign James R and you might have replaced Sanchez.
I’d worry about why Rodriquez is not playing for Madrid. Zidane has all his players working at a pretty high pace. This is the first Madrid team that I’ve ever seen with everyone pitching in defensively, they look powerful. So you’d have to ask why Zidane doesn’t seem fit to play him very often, and it’s probably the same reason why Isco took so long before earning his place.
James Rodriguez can”t run.. he has the same limitations Xhaka has.. no mobility and extremely one footed Tbh I don’t want any more imobile players in our team Hate to say it but when you look at Tottenham’s team even Chelseas bar Cahill they’re all very mobile and unless he can dictate a game like Kroos I’m not too bothered
Cheers mate, as I don’t really have an idea what this lad is about. Only heard about him after Madrid bought him, but then they don’t play him and he looks unsettled.
Eric, said it all. Whoever wants to leave should be allowed to leave. The most important thing is they should be adequate replacement.
Sanchez wants to win things. Man Shitty won nothing but the Champions League place. Hopefully he will stay for the push for the Emirates Cup and Charity Shield double. And on an unrelated note, why not try the Ox up front?
Ox up front, why have you seen something that makes you think he’d be a 20 plus scorer. I’d try him alongside Alexis behind a striker, close teams down and what not, that’d be the highest I’d put him. But I think he’s grand where he is, …out of the country!
If we lose Alexis and the season starts badly as it often does…this will be the most difficult season the football club will ever have had…
If I were the club I refuse the £40m from Bayern and let him run down his contract…because it all could really go down hill…if wenger thinks the atmosphere at the emirates was horrendous…he hasn’t seen anything yet..
I don’t see Alexis going to city, the only way I see that happen is if it’s on a free next season. There is too much heat on Arsene, you can see they feel it the way they’re trying not to mess up this window. I just don’t see it happen, honestly it’d be a bonkers thing to do. PSG Bayern and Juventus, if he’s sold in this window it will be to one of those. If Alexis has eyes for city well then he’ll have to stick around for another season. But if we want to sell him abroad that is our prerogative, he doesn’t have to move, but things can start getting difficult for a player in that situation.
I think personally let Sanchez run down his contract.. 2 things will happen.. 1) he will be cloae to 30 by that time so not as attractive 2) if we sign 2 to 3 great players and go on to win the premier league or europa league then he might want to stay
No value at all in selling to a main rival unless one of Sane , Aguero or De Bruyne come the other way!
How about a swap deal with kun? It’s an uncanny win win situation for both clubs…