The probable departure of the Chilean leaves the Gunners in a position where they are being forced to sell their best players - again
With 22 goals and 18 assists in 44 games, Alexis Sanchez has taken on the mantle of Arsenal’s MVP from Mesut Ozil this season.
It was the German international who made history last year with record assist numbers in the Premier League, guiding the Gunners to a respectable second placed finish behind surprise package Leicester City.
However, one season is a long time in football and both Ozil and Sanchez have yet to commit to new contract offers which have been on the table for several months. Negotiations are expected to resume over the summer but Goal understands that Alexis has already made his mind up on where he’ll be playing next season, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City confident of signing the Chilean maestro amid interest from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
The 28-year-old only managed one shot on target despite having 65.22% of his touches in the final third and only completed 20 passes in the whole game. Arsene Wenger’s decision to play Danny Welbeck down the middle is somewhat bemusing considering Sanchez’s previous success there, yet there are no excuses for such a talented player to go missing when the team need him most.
Have these Arsenal players ever experienced such a situation in their careers? Most of them haven’t had to fight for their manager’s future before and that is evident in their performances over the past few months. The team is devoid of leadership and strong characters even more so when Petr Cech, Laurent Koscielny and Santi Cazorla aren't in the team, but it's clear that the problems run much deeper than needing a loud voice in the dressing room.
Arsenal conceded 17 chances to 28 percent possession against Palace. There is something systematically wrong with the team if they are allowing a relegation threatened side to have such freedom in the final third - and from the way Alexis reacted as each goal went in, it proved a reminder of his frustrations at how last season’s league runners up have gone from title challengers to a team now unlikely to secure a top four spot.
Alexis is one of the world’s best players when on form. He’s in the latter stages of his career and should be playing for a team in the Champions League with a squad capable of winning major trophies. The club will move on after he leaves just like they have done with the likes of Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas, but it is vital that Arsenal sign a replacement before the start of the season if he does go in the summer.
While they previously had to sell their best players for financial reasons, it is now a matter of ambition just like Van Persie intimated in his statement before he left for Manchester United.
While they previously had to sell their best players for financial reasons, it is now a matter of ambition just like Van Persie intimated in his statement before he left for Manchester United.
"As announced earlier this year I had a meeting with the Boss and Mr. Gazidis after the season," wrote the Dutchman.
No comments:
Post a Comment