Fates of Sanchez and Coutinho show clubs now hold upper hand
Unsettled duo lost their battles of wills with their employers but still pose a challenge to managers
It is quite possible that Arsenal will start against Liverpool tomorrow with three outfield players who, at the very least, have been seriously considering a future elsewhere. Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin were both told that they would not be sold but Alex Oxlade-chamberlain may well depart next week after so far refusing to accept a new contract.
A fourth player – Mesut Ozil – remains unwilling to commit beyond the end of the season but the one slither of good news for Arsenal is that they are all available to play at Anfield. Opponents Liverpool have a player in Philippe Coutinho who is unable to train or play due to a lower-back injury that became public shortly after he had been told that he could not join Barcelona. Liverpool, though, can hardly feel too aggrieved by all the unwanted distraction. They were the preferred destination of Virgil van Dijk, who has himself asked to leave Southampton and consequently played no part in first-team training all summer amid concerns over his mindset.
Diego Costa is even more estranged from Chelsea – despite still being under contract – and his inactivity has now cost him a place in the Spain squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers.
The natural inclination is to see it all as a consequence of player power and the wealth of football’s richest clubs but, with Coutinho, Sanchez and Van Dijk all being told that they will not be sold, other factors are clearly relevant.
Arsene Wenger, who has probably been through more comparable situations than anyone still working in English football, believes that an opposite force is actually at work. It is that clubs are so well-resourced, especially in the English Premier League, that more can now make the sort of ‘not for sale’ stand he felt unable ultimately to see through with Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri.
There are essentially three calculations. The first is about man-management, private promises and the very varying personalities involved. The second is purely an assessment of the on-field impact of the player and the third is the financial calculation. The more combustible personalities of Antonio Conte and Costa left little chance of even a temporary compromise and they have been separated by more than
‘I have always been followed by the board. But the final say belongs to the Arsenal board’
5,000 miles for most of the summer. Wenger has tried to detach the contractual stand-offs from his team selection, even if Oxlade-chamberlain may now be left out tomorrow. Ozil has never pushed to leave despite not signing a new contract. Bellerin had his head turned but, following a letter from Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis to warn off Barcelona, the situation settled.
Oxlade-chamberlain’s more peripheral squad status makes him increasingly likely to leave but Wenger believes that Sanchez has accepted staying. Wenger’s calculation on the striker has been based on several factors. It was partly his sporting value and Arsenal’s wider financial strength – which could still be tested if the bidding reached £70million – but also the player’s unique thirst simply for training and playing.
“I don’t think he is too disturbed by all the [external] noises; some deal better with it,” said Wenger. “Sometimes players have been promised things that have not been kept. I can only tell you what happens here and Alexis is focused to play. Our mutual interest is that he does well.
“He is now 28 and looks at the quality of his contract but I think he deeply loves to be here. I think he will give his best until the last day.”
Yet what if a different decision is made, as may well now be the case with Oxlade-chamberlain? “I had to deal many times in my life with big departures, big players,” said Wenger. “If it happens you have to find a way to survive at the top level and to find a way to make the team efficient. You focus on how the team can be strong enough.”
The wider question for Arsenal, however, has become cumulative. Sanchez, Ozil and Oxladechamberlain are collectively worth around £150million. Can the club really sacrifice that potential income when the players can leave for nothing next summer?
“You have a sport decision, and the sport decision is easy; you keep him [Sanchez] until the last day of his contract,” said Wenger. “Then you have a compromise to find if you can afford to do it because you lose a lot of money and the club needs to make a financial sacrifice.”
Having recommended Sanchez stays, Wenger said the directors, led by majority owner Stan Kroenke, will decide. “I have always been followed by the board, but the final say belongs to them.”