Stan Collymore has claimed that an exit for one of Alexis Sanchez or Mesut Ozil from Arsenal would dampen squad spirits.
The Gunners duo are into the final six months of their contract at present, and both are heavily tipped with the exit door. Arsenal now have to consider how important it would be for them to either cash-in on either star, or force them to leave amidst the likelihood that both leave for free this summer.
All interviews by the manager insist that neither is available for transfer this in the upcoming window, but various reports like to contradict the Frenchman’s claims.
The Chilean did have his move in the summer blocked when a bid from Manchester City was accepted, only for the club to fail to convince replacement Thomas Lemar to join from Monaco. All summer however, Wenger had also insisted that the player was not available, before attempting to sell.
Collymore now insists that a sale would have detrimental effects on the playing squad should either Sanchez or his team-mate Ozil be permitted an exit.
He said: “Arsene Wenger could perhaps let one of Alexis Sanchez or Mesut Ozil go in January, but I’d be tempted, if I were him, to keep both and let them go on a free in the summer if they want to.
“It’s not simply a matter of how much money Arsenal would get.
“If I was a player of the level just under Sanchez or Ozil, who wanted to kick on and win trophies and I saw them leave, I would be going, “We are in trouble now”.
“There would be all sorts of conversations in the dressing room, with a few mardy bums going, “The gaffer has gone mad here, he can’t let both of them go”.
“Wenger might be able to get rid of one of them, on the basis that it’s a good financial deal. But, with no guarantees of Champions League football next season, they have to be keeping all the positivity they can, which means retaining both of them.”