The Arsenal fans have been pretty much in the dark all summer about what will happen with our chile international star Alexis Sanchez. In fact the guesswork began last season as we knew that the striker was getting towards the final year of his contract and despite helping us to win a 3rd FA cup in four years he was not going to be happy about the way the season went.
The plot thickened over the weekend because up until then Alexis had not said much on the subject apart from that he was leaving it to his agent to deal with. There have been lots of Arsenal transfer rumours linking the 26-year old with Premier League rivals Man City and Chelsea as well as foreign clubs including Inter and Bayern Munich, while some reports have suggested that he would sign a new deal if Arsenal give him a big pay rise.
The boss has been sounding confident about Arsenal keeping our star player and he also declared that we would not strengthen a direct rival, with comments made in Australia reported by Metro claimed that he was talking with the striker and it was going well.
Wenger said, ‘There is not a lot to resolve at the moment with the player. I have spoken through text and it was very positive. My thoughts are always positive.’
Sanchez muddied the waters this week, though, rebuffing the Frenchman’s suggestion that he has not told him he wants to leave and suggesting that he is waiting for a response from the club.
Sanchez said, ‘I want to play the Champions League.
‘The decision does not depend on me, I have to wait for Arsenal.
‘I’ve made my decision, now I wait for Arsenal’s reply. The idea is to play and win the Champions League. I’ve dreamt about it since I was a kid.’
Clearly the two versions of their recent contact do not tally, so is it Wenger or Alexis telling us fibs?
Bob.