Arsenal face a difficult battle to keep star striker Alexis Sánchez, according to John Cross from the Daily Mirror. Cross was one of the panelists in the Sunday Supplement discussion, as shown here on the Sky Sports website.
The club is currently in negotiations with two of its biggest stars – Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sánchez. Talking on the subject, the journalist said that he wouldn’t be too concerned about the former signing on. Sánchez, whose contract ends in the summer of 2018, may have a different view on things.
Cross said:
I think Ozil will sign, but Sánchez is a bit more problematic. He has just 18 months left now. He is a very good player, he had a very good first season and was not so good last season – it was disrupted by injury.
And I still think it’s a little bit up in the air over whether he will sign.
The Chilean currently earns £130,000-per-week at the Emirates, which is a far cry from what superstars at other clubs earn. Manchester United’s captain, Wayne Rooney, nets £260,000-per-week, second only to the costliest player in the world Paul Pogba, who earns £290,000-per-week. Manchester City have Sergio Aguero and David Silva on weekly wages of £240,000 and £200,000 respectively, while Chelsea’s Eden Hazard collects £220,000.
Ozil is Arsenal’s highest paid player at £190,000-per-week, and is almost sure to break the £200,000 barrier when he is given an extension.
Sánchez signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2014 for £31.7 million. He has been one of the Gunners’ most consistent performers when fit, scoring 25 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign and 17 last year. However, he has struggled with injuries.
The Daily Telegraph’s chief football writer Sam Wallace opined that without having a solid Plan B, Arsenal should not think of selling their superstar to another top European club, among which Man City and Juventus were mentioned as possible suitors. The club has a long recent history of selling big players to big clubs, including Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna and Ashley Cole.
Cross continued:
If you have a good plan B, sometimes it’s not a bad thing to let someone go.
If there is a really good back-up plan for a younger version [of Sánchez] they think can do the job, then it’s not a bad idea. But I don’t trust Arsenal to have that back-up plan.
Talks are ongoing between the club and the player, and the Arsenal fans will have their fingers crossed hoping they don’t feel a miserable sense of déjà vu at the end of it all.
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