We’ve been here before haven’t we? Cesc Fabregas, Samir
Nasri and Robin Van Persie angling for moves away from the Emirates in pursuit of trophies and of course better wages. Winning The FA Cup and The Community Shield twice during his short spell at the club, Sanchez’s case is quite different. Arsenal's failure to finish in the top 4 last season means Europa League qualification but a far cry from playing in the Champions League. A competition the club has been accustomed to under Arsene Wenger since 1998. For most world class footballers, playing in the champions league is a must and has become a blueprint for engineering a move from one football club to the other .
With Alexis Sanchez entering the final year of his current contract, stating his
desire to win the champions league and stalling on extending his current contract
the club is once again faced with a familiar dilemma; to sell him now and find a replacement or keep him, bank their hopes on a contract extension else the agony of him leaving on a free transfer.
At
age 28,Alexis is entering the final stages of
his footballing peak.On the contrary
he is still very marketable. Aside PSG and Man City not much clubs would pay
over the odds to obtain his services. However, with the situation at hand it
will only be financially prudent to sell him now and find a replacement than risk
getting nothing next year when he leaves on a free.
Selling him to a premiership rival to strengthen them can
never be an option, it is easy to judge the transfer of Robin Van Persie to
Manchester United as a huge mistake due to hindsight. (He single handedly won
Manchester United their 20th EPL title). Finally, keeping a player
against his will has the tendency of impacting negatively on the overall performance of the team.
With Arsenal’s quest to get back into the champions league and challenge for
trophies, this contract saga is an unwanted distraction.
Keep Him
When asked about Alexis' future at the club Wenger said “For the rest… we played 20
years in the Champions League, that’s 17 years before Sanchez arrived and three
years with him so he can get us back in there.” a clever dig at the Chilean to
quit moaning about his champions league obsession and desire to move to another club.
Alexis has always been a top professional and a committed player on the pitch.
With a World Cup brewing in the summer of 2018,He would love to be in tip top
form to justify his inclusion to be in the Chilean Squad.
Only quality signings and a magnificent trophy winning
season will ensure Alexis extends his contract. Anything short of that will see
him leaving on a free with an option to join a team of his choice. In this light, the signings of both Kolašinac and Lacazette are steps in the right direction but still
not enough to mount a credible title challenge or compete for trophies in all
competitions.
It’s a crazy transfer market and buying quality players won’t
come on a cheap. Signing a central midfielder preferably a Box-to-box type is highly essential to fill the void left by Santi Cazorla’s injury. Adding a center back as well as a winger would do the team a lot of good both offensively and defensively.
Verdict
Whether the transfer bidding fee from any club is £30 million, £40 million, £50 million or £100
million,Just don’t sell Alexis. Big clubs with competitive ambitions don’t sell
their prized assets they rather keep them add world class players and win trophies. After all the gloomy
days of selling players to pay up Emirates Stadium debts are over.
At this moment, Arsenal FC needs Alexis more than the player
needs the Club.
Only time will tell who will have the last laugh financially
and competitively.
Twitter: @Terence__Wood
terencewood14@gmail.com
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