The situation surrounding Alexis Sanchez’s Arsenal future is something which is well up in the air at the moment. The Chilean has stated he will hold talks with the Gunners at the end of the season and at the moment it is highly anticipated that he will be looking to leave during the summer months.
A number of clubs, including Premier League sides, Chelsea and Manchester City, have reportedly shown an interest in the South American star, but there are a whole host of top European clubs who will be monitoring the situation.
In a rather surprising statement, reports emerging from the French media have suggested that Alexis has already made up his mind that he wants to leave the Gunners and he has made it known where his next possible destinations may be. According to the reports which are covered by the Metro, it is understood that Alexis has listed his top five preferred destinations for next season, two of which are Premier League sides. The report states, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, PSG, Chelsea and Inter Milan make up the striker’s top five.
In my opinion, although he would receive much criticism from the Arsenal fans, a move to Chelsea or City may not be completely off the cards given he will want to win the Premier League during his career stay in England. Both offer good prospects of achieving exactly that. Inter Milan seems like a strange choice next to the rest and given he’s already played in Italy, I find this move unlikely unless it’s someone like Juventus who comes in for him. PSG may offer almost certain success, but it’s in a weak French Ligue 1 and I think Alexis will like to test his competitiveness at a higher level. Bayern Munich is the real worry for me, especially with the likes of Robben and Ribery ageing, but they do have the likes of Coman, Muller and Costa who regularly play on the wing.
Earlier in the week, Alexis was quoted saying: ‘What I want to do now is to finish the season well and then I will sit down with the club to decide what I’m going to do. I’m very happy about [my goal record], but, as always, I demand more from myself. I think that if a player wants to be at the very top, he needs to win the Champions League and league titles. That’s what makes the great players truly great.’
In my opinion that statement is from a man who is clearly frustrated with his teammates and the organisation of the club. Arsenal’s management clearly is not set up to the same standard and expectations that Alexis has and the two certainly don’t have the same goals in mind. I think Alexis would be willing to remain at the Emirates if he can be convinced that the club is taking a step in the right direction, but much like the RVP situation, he needs more than just a manager’s word, he needs to see wholesale changes around the club.
As for the reports in the French media, I find it highly unlikely that Alexis would even bother making such a list up of where he would like to play, let alone have it leaked to the media. Alexis may know in his head whether he intends to leave or not, and if so, where he would like to play. However there is a very slim chance of this ever being picked up on by journalists. In my opinion I see it as nothing more than just further fuelling speculation to add to the fire, in an attempt to begin the stir of the summer transfer rumours.
By AH