PSG, Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich – Alexis Sanchez has been linked to these clubs and more in a never-ending transfer saga of the summer, with the Chilean tipped to leave Arsenal after the club left him with under a year remaining on his current contract.
Arsene Wenger might have insisted, several times, that the forward will not be sold, but is it time to just end the saga and move on for Arsenal?
After all, it doesn't help when there is constant talk over someone's future, especially considering how important it is for Arsenal to make a great start to the new season in the English Premier League.
Even if Arsenal somehow manage to keep their form and pick up wins in August, the transfer talk regarding Sanchez's future will not die down, despite the transfer window shutting on August 31. All that will do is turn the focus to January and how he will be able to talk to clubs outside the Premier League come the turn of the year.
While keeping Sanchez to the final year of his contract in a manner is commendable, and you can understand what Wenger's thinking is, what the Arsenal manager needs to weigh is if that decision ends up helping the club or not.
There is no doubt that Sanchez, the kind of player that he is, will give it a 100 per cent on the pitch, even if he is forced to stay at the club for the remainder of his contract. But, what about the mood in the dressing room, and the general well-being of the squad?
You do not want a moping, unhappy player in the change room, bringing you down, especially when the going starts to get a little tough. Sanchez is a professional, but he does have previous regarding his relationships, or the lack of it, with his team-mates.
No matter what happens, Sanchez should not be sold to Manchester City – that is certain. But, if a PSG come in for the Chilean – and there are rumours that say Neymar and Dani Alves have called Sanchez personally, asking him to come to Paris – Arsenal should just relent and let the player leave, and then spend some quality money on Thomas Lemar and/or Ousmane Dembele.
In the recent past, Wenger, knowing the pressure that he is under, has decided to go for experience over young talent in the transfer market, but what made the Arsenal manager great was his ability to take uncut stones and turn them into the most precious gems in the world.
And maybe, even at the cost of suffering another disappointing season, going the "let's buy the talented youngster" way is what Arsenal require. Hey, even if the Gunners suffer a disappointing season, the fans will at least have had a chance to see brilliant talent(s) on the pitch.
A sulking Sanchez, even if he continues to excel on the field, is not what Arsenal need. So, sell him to a club outside the Premier League, bring in a couple of young gems and make this a season to remember.
