When Alexis Sanchez scored the three sumptuous goals against West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, the chief thought of most of the Gooners out there, apart from enjoying the brilliance of the Chilean, would have been along the lines of "C'mon, Arsene Wenger, please lock him up on a long-term contract soon." Sanchez has been a revelation in the No.9 position this season, scoring goals and making them for fun.
As a result, Arsenal have been a lot more fun to watch this season, with that turgidity which has sometimes troubled them over the past couple of seasons, especially when Santi Cazorla goes missing from the lineup, not as prevalent.
The Gunners, who play FC Basel in their last group stage match of the Champions League on Tuesday, are far from a perfect team, of course, but with Sanchez in the lineup, there is always that feeling of "OK, we could see something special here." That is a feeling only world-class players like an Alexis Sanchez or a Mesut Ozil can invoke.
Both players will see their current contracts run out in 18 months, with Arsenal in negotiations with their agents over extending their stay at the Emirates. While these contracts always take a lot longer than the fans would like, Wenger believes it is not just the money that will decide if Sanchez and Ozil stay for the long-term at Arsenal.
"Well, I would like to say the luxury of the modern game should be that it's not only about the money, because the players make anyway wherever they play good money at this level," Wenger, always the idealist rather than a pragmatist, said. "I believe, personally... maybe I am a bit naïve, but it's more about getting to meet the players' needs.
"That's about the way the club has values, the way the club has ambition, the way the club respects the players. So I think, for me, that is more important nowadays and an important ingredient for every player to consider. The money is good everywhere for everybody."
Sanchez, who was recently linked with a move to Manchester City, a report Pep Guardiola emphatically shot down, is reportedly asking for weekly wages of over £200,000 – he is on around £130,000 a week currently – to sign a new contract, and while negotiations are still going on with the former Barcelona forward, Ozil is thought to be closer to agreeing a deal, on a similar pay packet.
"Nowadays, you negotiate with the agents more than with the player," Wenger added. "We are in negotiations, yes. The players are 18 months away from the end of their contracts, so it's normal.
"But the players always come in at the end, when it's a renewal. With the first contract you need the players, but after that, when you renew, 90 per cent of the contracts are negotiated with the agents."
