SANCHEZ How Wenger’s £60M gamble created an UNMANAGEABLE DIVA Gunners go for ‘bad boy’ Auba
ALEXIS SANCHEZ is the £60million gamble which backfired so badly it has left Arsenal in meltdown.
The club turned down a huge offer from Manchester City in the final days of the summer window believing Sanchez was the player who could save their season and get them into the top four.
The harsh reality is that Sanchez became such an unmanageable diva he has left a trail of destruction in his wake, which raises serious questions about Arsene Wenger’s future.
Arsenal’s players are divided. Senior stars are concerned whether the club will show enough ambition to replace him. Others are glad to see the back of him.
Sanchez is a brilliant player, a world-class talent, but his strops on and off the pitch have been getting worse throughout his season of discontent. And it has been borne out by results.
The Chile star was desperate to join City last August , Arsenal felt transferring him without getting a replacement – they did not have time to bring in Monaco’s Thomas Lemar – would send the wrong message of being a selling club and the fans would go into meltdown.
They actually ended up facing a backlash from fans accusing them of getting it wrong – and have paid a heavy price ever since.
Wenger was convinced that Sanchez’s natural desire, will- to- win and fighting spirit would ensure his performance levels would remain high and at the end of the season he would have the World Cup to aim for.
The moment Chile were knocked out of the World Cup was a game changer and Sanchez was dead set on leaving Arsenal quickly.
At 29, his last shot at glory for his country was gone and he wanted to join a club with a chance of winning silverware.
Sanchez was also petulant on the training ground – last year he was dropped at Liverpool for having a bust-up after storming off.
That got worse. His levels dropped, he was the first to leave and displayed more arrogance than usual.
His goals and assists – to some that is all that matters – maske d abject performances when he hid his lack of contribution by throwing g tantrums. It was designed to show he cared, but team-mates felt the opposite was true.
Sanchez seemed to enjoy breaking club rules by going to the gym with his shirt off – then taking selfies to revel in it.
He never got involved in team meals or bonding exercises and kept himself to himself.
Wenger seemed nervous about substituting him. In one game, he took Sanchez off at the Emirates with 10 minutes to go. Sanchez stormed back ba to the dr dressing room, sh showered, ch changed and le left before the g game ended.
Sanchez’s p poor performance m at S Southampton to in December be led to se several players ha having a go at hi him – Jack Wilshere even had “words” on the pitch – yet he provided the assist for Olivier Giroud’s equaliser. The same at Burnley, where he scored the late penalty winner. But that did not stop players turning on him afterwards, accusing him of not putting in a shift.
Sanchez’s goal celebration at Crystal Palace last month made headlines when some team-mates did not want to join in.
A few are fed up of him thinking he is the main man, the star of the show, better than the rest and will not celebrate with a player whose attitude they dislike.
Wenger laughed as he suggested all big stars come with an ego, while other members of the coaching staff were more frustrated with his attitude.
That is the Frenchman all over – moaning after games but not addressing problems with the players concerned, such is his dislike of confrontation.
That applies to Sanchez. Even after disagreements, rather than address them head on, Wenger let it fester and Sanchez has taken full advantage. Finally, inevitably, it has got out of control. FROM BACK PAGE to land Sanchez with discussions ongoing over a player-plus-cash deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Sanchez is set to join United after Manchester City pulled out of the running for the Chilean, leaving Chelsea as United’s only rivals for his signature. He will earn up to £400,000 a week with a £30m signing-on fee plus a £30m transfer fee involved. Aubameyang has a bad-boy reputation, but Arsenal recruitment chief Sven Mislintat has provided glowing reports on the player. Arsenal are keen on Bordeaux’s Malcom, while Theo Walcott is heading to Everton for £20m. Boss hoped wantaway striker could fire Arsenal into the Champions League... instead, he’s left them in meltdown