From Brian Love : Bye bye Alexis
Wenger might feel aggrieved that Sanchez told him he was staying, just as Pep might feel aggrieved when Sanchez gave his word that he was coming, but It’s NONSENSE to say that Sanchez is leaving mainly to earn more money, as Wenger has suggested.
Don’t believe a word of it.
Sanchez knows his value, and has gone to a bigger club to play in a better team. And he may prove to be the greatest – or at least most talismanic – Utd player since Cantona.
But THIS Arsenal team won’t miss him anymore than they already have been doing. For while he is undoubtedly the most dynamic, productive Arsenal player since Henry, Sanchez has only turned out a handful of times for the Gunners in the last nine months. The way he has slacked and shown disrespect to the players and fans – even walking off the training pitch early – leaves a sour taste.
I get that he was upset that the City deal didn’t happen. So was the rest of the Arsenal team, from what I have heard. But as long as you cash your cheque, you should put in 100%. And he didn’t.
Meanwhile Theo Walcott, the club’s longest-serving player, was made to endure Sanchez’s petulant onfield antics from the bench, despite having scored 19 goals last season. Ditto Giroud. You can castigate Sanchez for a lack of loyalty, but clearly loyalty means little when you’ve been at the club for 12 years and have to sit and watch the impotent Iwobi and Welbeck miss a string of chances.
It’s tough to see Man Utd get stronger again, but then Man Utd are always going to be stronger as long as they spend the kind of money that Arsenal never will. They may yet even pick up Ronaldo and/or Bale before the start of next season.
But let’s not write off the despondent Mkhitaryan and the ungovernable Abaumeyang just yet.
The current talk is all about how Man Utd have got the deal of the century and Arsenal have been mugged off with a reject, but football, as they say, is a funny old game.
Let’s see.
Myles says:
As always, football is awash with opinions.
But my view of Auba has been withheld for another day.