It Is Not The End Of The World For Arsenal Even If They Lose Alexis Sanchez This Summer
Arsenal have had a busy summer transfer window so far, as after two long years, Arsene Wenger decided to break the transfer record at the club this summer. The Gunners have added the likes of Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette to their ranks for the new season but their transfer business is far from over.
The manager is expected to lose the likes of Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain this summer and is already in search of players who can replace them in the squad this summer. However, one player, who is touted as irreplaceable at the club is Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez.
Used as a winger and also as a false-9 in his time at the Emirates, Sanchez moved to the club in 2014 and has established himself as one of the best in his role, not just in England, but also in Europe. He has been the best player for the club in the last two years, picking up a total of 53 goals and 24 assists in 103 Premier League appearances till date.
He is also the talisman of the Chile national side, who have been on a trophy-winning spree recently. However, the lack of progress has seen Sanchez reject a lucrative contract at the club to extend his stay and is expected to quit the club before the deadline day. His figures and work rate will not be easy to replace, but there are many reasons why it is not the end of the road for the Gunners.
Losing the best player from the previous two seasons is a huge loss for any club, let alone for one which just dropped out of the Champions League. But Sanchez is now 28 and Arsenal are, at the most, losing 3 years of his peak as a footballer.
He has just a year on his contract but is still expected to fetch close to £50m, which is a huge coup for the Gunners, who could lose him for free next summer. They can surely spend that money on a decent player, who can come good in the years to come.
French striker Alexandre Lacazette is sure to cover for the loss of goals when Sanchez exits while Mesut Ozil is more than capable of taking care of the creativity. Sanchez’s industry and work rate will surely be missed but in the likes of Thomas Lemar and a few others that have been linked with a move to the Emirates, Wenger can find a player, who could turn into a Sanchez in the future.
Sanchez or no Sanchez, Arsene Wenger will not get too many chances to prove that he still has it. So it will be better for the manager to quickly get over the star attacker and find an able replacement for the cheeky Chilean.