Alexis Sanchez's time at Arsenal appears to be coming to an end
Football
By
Mirror
| Mar 07, 2017
I fully expect Alexis Sanchez to leave Arsenal in the summer.
And I just hope one of the clubs that finishes in the top four have a little tickle to try to keep him in the Premier League.
I don’t think he will go back to Spain. There is no chance of a return to Barcelona or move to Real Madrid at the age of 28.
So if he were to move overseas that would realistically leave Italy or a club such as Paris Saint-Germain, willing to pay crazy money and over the odds.
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But I genuinely think he has so much to offer this league, with his work-rate, his goals, he obviously likes the English top flight and fits in so well even for a little fella.
I could see him at Chelsea and being incredible. Imagine a frontline with Diego Costa down the middle, Eden Hazard and Sanchez on the wings with a quality No.10 behind. That would be awesome.
He would be the kind of player Chelsea boss Antonio Conte would love – work rate, desire and genuine world class.
And we need in the Premier League as many world-class players as we can get our hands on.
So I am pleading for a Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool – any of the teams to finish in the top four with the money – to go and put in a bid for him, tell him you will put your arm around him and win trophies with him.
I could see Conte, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho or Jurgen Klopp all saying that to him and making him their top man.
Sanchez was dropped by Arsene Wenger for the Liverpool game on Saturday and I think this situation has been brewing for a while.
Wenger yesterday denied there was a bust-up but Sanchez’s body language has stunk for some time. For a while you could see he was frustrated. He has probably been aware of the malaise at Arsenal, the rot that has set in over a number years and seen Wenger doesn’t dig into his players enough.
Sanchez is a proven winner from his time at Barcelona and with Chile. He is getting to the stage where he might be thinking about getting one last, big contract.
At the same time he is thinking he is at a club happy to be just third or fourth and wants much more.
So he probably kicked off in training demanding something of the players and manager, after seeing a session that is light-hearted but that he felt needed a bit more grit, determination and aggression and walked off in a sulk.
I saw that happen once with John Barnes. He was a great pro at Liverpool and during one session Doug Livermore put on it got to about 20 minutes in and he did the same, saying, ‘This isn’t good enough’. Barnes is also a born winner. That happens with characters like that. They are in their cocoon for a while and then explode when it is least expected.
Players who play hard and train hard expect the same of everybody else and when that doesn’t happen, they think enough is enough and toys come out of the pram.
I fully understand that and wouldn’t blame him at all if that is what really happened. And there will be many pros up and down the country who have done and think the same.