Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has stated that Alexis Sanchez is fully focused on the season ahead, whilst adding that he is not ready to return to the first-team just yet.
The Chilean came off the bench for a 15 minute cameo against Bournemouth today, making his first appearance since overseeing his move to desired Manchester City move break down on deadline day.
Arsenal had accepted a bid by the Citizens on August 31, only for to fail to persuade Thomas Lemar to join in Sanchez’s place, and then refused to allow the forward to leave the club.
There has been talk that Alexis could now become a problem for the Arsenal team in the dressing room, and that he could possibly down tools after having his wishes turned down, but Wenger is of the belief that will not be the case.
He said: ”Alexis Sanchez is very focused on the Premier League and the Europa League and he wants to do well. He is still a bit short physically. He will be quickly back to his best.
“The break came at a very bad time for me, we did not perform against Liverpool.
“Confidence is so important in sport and the best way to get it is to perform like we did today.”
Our win today will go a long way to boost the morale of our players, but it may take some time to get complete decorum back after a torrid couple of months.
The players will have to concentrate on their football with no room to move clubs until January now, and with the World Cup coming up next summer, stars will want to be at their best to assure themselves of a place in their respective squads.
Will Sanchez be able to concentrate on his football after the deadline day drama? Will today’s win help our dressing room to get back to some normality?
Pat J