Alexis Sanchez’s departure confirms Arsenal’s status as mediocre also-rans… and it could get worse

Alexis Sanchez’s departure confirms Arsenal’s status as mediocre also-rans… and it could get worse

By James Goldman, Metro.co.uk Sports Editor Sunday 14 Jan 2018 7:00 am As Alexis Sanchez hurtles t..

By James Goldman, Metro.co.uk Sports Editor

Sunday 14 Jan 2018 7:00 am

As Alexis Sanchez hurtles towards the end of his contract and the Emirates exit door, Arsenal find themselves in all too familiar position with the two Manchester giants surveying the wreckage of another calamitous season, looking to pick off the remaining meat on the bones.

For Robin van Persie in 2012, read Aleixs Sanchez in 2018. Whatever the little boy inside the Chilean is saying, there is absolutely no chance, despite Arsene Wenger’s wild optimism, a single ounce of his fibre is planning on remaining in north London beyond the end of the January transfer window.

Wenger has insisted that the length of time remaining on a footballer’s contract pays no bearing on his levels of commitment once he crosses the white line, but Sanchez’s histrionics and dwindling output over the course of the last year have told a different story.

Cracks in the relationship between manager, star player and his teammates were first evident at Bournemouth last season where Sanchez was alleged to have damaged a dressing room window, having been less than amused with Olivier Giroud’s self-indulgent celebration following his last minute equaliser.

Alexis Sanchez's departure confirms Arsenal's status as mediocre also-rans
Alexis Sanchez is at the centre of a tug of war between both Manchester clubs (Picture: Getty / Metro)

Sanchez subsequently threw a tantrum after he was substituted with the game already well won at Swansea, dropped for a pivotal fixture at Anfield and caught sniggering on the bench as Arsenal were annihilated 10-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

There have been spontaneous flashes of brilliance since the start of the season and several matchwinning contributions. Ultimately, however, Arsenal have wasted six months, not to mention around £30million, gambling on a player whose heart just hasn’t been in it.

The pain and resentment connected with Sanchez’s impending departure will, however, represent the merest of pin pricks should Arsenal continue on the path to mediocrity down which Wenger appears to be headed.

Fourth place already appears to be a remote possibility, while any number of banana skins await in the Europa League. The defence of the FA Cup lasted just 90 tortuous minutes at the City Ground, while few would bet on Arsenal winning the Carabao Cup with the second leg of their semi-final against Chelsea still to navigate, before a likely final against Sanchez’s probable next employees.

Alexis Sanchez's departure confirms Arsenal's status as mediocre also-rans
Robin van Persie left Arsenal for Manchester United after he snubbed Manchester City (Picture: Getty)

Come the summer, Arsenal are destined to be back in the Europa League, shorn of their two star players. Per Mertesacker will have retired, while Laurent Koscielny, should his Achilles continue to cause problems, and Petr Cech may not be too far behind him. Danny Welbeck and Aaraon Ramsey will have entered the final 12 months of their contracts and we are likely to be no closer to knowing if the likes of Alex Iwobi, Rob Holding and Calum Chambers are players of genuine pedigree.

Carlo Ancelotti has been strongly linked with Wenger’s job but the Italian’s track record suggests he isn’t the man best qualified to oversee the seismic rebuilding job that will need to be undertaken. The Italian has inherited teams laden with star quality at Milan, PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich but he, or whoever else succeeds Wenger, will be required to turn water into wine.

Behind the scenes the appointments of former Borussia Dortmund talent spotter Sven Mislintat and ex-Barcelona director of football Raul Sanllehi indicate Arsenal are at least attempting to wrestle a measure of power and influence from Wenger.

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Mislintat was credited as the man behind the recent signing of the unheralded Konstantinos Mavropanos or ‘the Greek boy’ as Wenger unflatteringly referred to the 20-year-old as last week.

His comments towards Mislintat were even less complimentary, suggesting there was little the club’s new German recruit could do to help expand his own knowledge of European football, while the U-turn on Mavropanos, who was originally destined to be loaned out before a change of heart based on two training sessions, represents compelling evidence of a football club who appear to be making things up as they go along.

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Perhaps the most telling statement this season with regards to Arsenal’s current standing and ambition came less than hour before they kicked off their campaign against Leicester.

‘Leicester City, how they did what they did. Monaco, moving away from a big spending policy towards youth and producing one of the most exciting teams in Europe last year,’ said Ivan Gazids, the man who claimed it would take five years for Arsenal to be on an even footing with Bayern Munich.

‘Other stories, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Dortmund, Red Bull Leipzig – these clubs have been fantastic inspirations.’

That list reads as who’s who of second tier European clubs with a history of selling their best players which is exactly what Arsenal will be rendered once Sanchez’s sale is confirmed.

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