Arsene Wenger says that PSG’s pursuit of Neymar is down to the fact that they’ve hit a brick wall when it comes to signing Alexis Sanchez.
Arsenal appear to have stood firm in the face of serious interest from the Qatari backed big spenders, and the Arsenal manager has, once again, reiterated his stance which will see the Chilean remain at Arsenal into the final year of his contract.
Speaking to reporters on the way back from China, he spoke about the stories linking Alexis to the Ligue 1 club, and suggested the media are playing their part in making it such a big thing.
“I read L’Equipe in the last three or four days,” he said. “It has moved from Sanchez to Neymar. Today they speak about Neymar, three days ago they speak about Alexis.
“They need as well, like you [reporters], subjects. They cannot get Sanchez so they go for Neymar.”
Asked about his stance on the situation, the 67 year old was once again strident about his desire not to sell.
“My mind has been made up for a while now,” he continued. “I think I made it clear a few times.
“We are in a strong financial situation. So we want to keep our best players. You can see that there is a fight everywhere to get top players.
“Sanchez has got one year to go on his contract and we have no need to make money. He will be part of the team next year.”
Last night Le Parisien reported that PSG were backing away from Sanchez, perhaps because of Arsenal’s unwillingness to sell, but also because they have deemed the demands of his agent ‘greedy’.
And with that almost the final door for a move this summer closes, as the Gunners will not sell to another Premier League club. Whether Sanchez can be convinced to sign a new deal is another thing, but for now it looks as if he’s going to be an Arsenal player next season, and that’s good news.
Brilliant news, about time this club got serious about being competitive. At the end of the year Alexis will be a year older and a little less attractive for the biggest clubs, who knows but anyway I’ll be glad if we don’t let him go, we always choose the sensible money option and cash in, nice change to have some balls and take a gamble for a change. COYG
Really it’s a case of ‘In that recent past we always had to choose the sensible money option and cash in’. We couldn’t afford not to…
I’ll repeat what I’ve been saying all summer. We can’t sell Alexis to any club at any price, PERIOD! So all these oil rich clubs can go F themselves! I think no matter what Alexis will always give 100% on the pitch, so we don’t have to worry about him refusing to play or any of that nonsense.
Excellent
Dont get me wrong I love Alexis, he has been nothing but fantastic…but I also can not hold back laughing when I read stories such as this one! for once, I feel very strong as a Gooner, in that we make bold statements and adhere to it, Love you Arsenal, Love you Arsene!
Talk is cheap, let’s see if we can actually follow through with these statements. We said similar things before selling RVP, Nasri, Cesc, Adebayor, and Henry. It would be so damaging if we sold him, but would be so positive if we kept him and would show that we are at least serious about our ambitions as a football club. I’ve been burned too many times to be too confident in these circumstances, yet I feel optimistic about us actually keeping Sanchez.
Bold decision! This is how a big clubs acts! COYG!
Yes, can’t keep hold of our best player and losing him on a free, that’s exactly what ‘big’ clubs do ?
Barca let Dani Alves leave on a free to Juventus–both indisputably big clubs. Then he left for another big club, whose name escapes me.
Good news indeed. Let us act right on player wanting out for once
It’s all well and good saying we’ll keep him and let him go for free. But if we don’t further improve our first 11? Then the best we can hope for in the league is another fight to get into the top4. Nothing’s changed so far…we’re still stuck with the same underperforming pre-Madonas who’ve let us down or not been good enough for the past few years. Both Lukaku+Morata are superior signings to Lacazette. I know you guys hate negativity on here, but not saying it doesn’t make it anyless true. Unless we have a big cull? And add some… Read more »
Sorry mate I beg to differ on your assumption that but lukaku and morata are superior to lacazette. Lacazette has been there and done it while lukaku is just a glorified media striker.
I think all our players are younger than Madonna.
Yeah but besides Giroud non of them are as fit.
Is Olivia Newton-John considered a pre-Madonna?
The plastic may be deceiving, but I think only the dinosaurs can truly be considered pre-Madonna.
Explain why Lukaku and Moratta are better than Lacazette?
Both of them could pick him up and snap him in half
Obviously that isn’t an advantage …
To be fair I think each club got the striker they wanted
Definitely not. We wanted Mbappe.
OK, we still ‘wanted’ Lacazette, but only as second choice. We couldn’t get our first choice, and therefore we did ‘want’ Lacazette, and we got him, so job done. Well done to the club for getting it through (but it was still second choice – we did as best as we could).
For me will be close between Lukaku and Lacazette, but because our style of play I think lacazatte will score more. Lukaku had his first season last year where he scored 24 goals, since he was playing for everton hes stats were worst than giroud and I think giroud gives more contribution than him, expect last year where he had his best season. He scored 24 for everton but don’t forget he scored 8 in 2 games I think vs Sunderalnd 4 and vs Swensea 4. Let see him how will cope with unated but I don’t see him replecate… Read more »
I think this is the wrong way to compare these players. Instead, which striker will improve his club more? Is Lukaku an improvement on Ibrahimovic, who he is replacing? Is Morata an improvement (in football terms, not as a human being) on Diego Costa? Is Lacazette an improvement on Lucas Perez (because we will still have our other strikers, if we choose to use them).
Judged only on these three, I think Arsenal will clearly be stronger than last year, Chelsea and Man United probably weaker.
Lukaku: Younger Stronger+taller+better in the air Knows the league+language Proven PL goalscorer who’s improved yr on yr Is 2-3yrs away from entering his peak Experience outside his comfort zone away from home Morata: Experience playing for two top clubs and pressure associated with it. Younger Far superior goals per minute ratio CL winner Multiple domestic cup winner Stronger+taller+better in the air Is 2-3 years away from entering his peak We’ve again gone for the cheaper, physically lightweight option. Who’s: Older than the other two Never played outside his hometown Hardly speaks any English Doesn’t know the league Never experienced the… Read more »
Maybe you see Lacazatte as an inferior signing because he’s signed by us. I don’t think you will say the same thing if he was with Manu or Chelsea.
How do you know what I think?
Why would my opinion change on a players suitability based on who signs him?
My list of strikers at the end of the season based on who I though was likely to move was;
1.Mbappe
2. Morata
3. Lukaku
4. Aubameyang
lacazette just seems like a typical Wenger signing, not much personality and easy to manage.
I’d have preferred a striker with more ego and presence both physically and in the dressing room.
Not another lightweight choir boy.
@Rich Lukaku is left-footed and similar to Giroud as a target man. Yes, he is also mobile and scores more than Giroud but our main striker is Alexis and he is much better overall than Lukaku. Morata is a decent player and the titles he won in his career are not down to him as an individual. It’s because he played for clubs who had world class squads. We have Welbeck whose style is very similar to that of Morata’s. So we don’t need Morata. To be honest i would have liked an M’bappe or an Aubameyang for the pace… Read more »
I love those no-personality easy-to-manage Wenger signings. You know Vieira and Sol Campbell, Van Persie and Wilshere, Alex Song, Bendtner and Szczesny and Alexis Sanchez.
“Shit French league” “…pressure of playing at a top club” – you´re stretching to make a point. Monaco was in the quarter finals in CL 2014/2015 and in the semi finals 2016/2017. Ligue 1 is no. 5 on the league ranking list according to UEFA. Maybe not one of the top clubs but surely Lacazette has good experience playing quality football. Morata wasn´t first choice striker at RM – Lukaku was playing for Everton.
this an arsenal blog page. go support the great lukaku and his wonderful first touch and team. Am old enough to have witnessed true belgian greats like scifo or the incredible luc nilis thats some strikers. but lukaku ? sorry mate and at 80 millions ,!!! ffs ! ,football has gone mad. As for morata he is good but he is a Juve reject where strikers like mandzukic were chose ahead of him and a madrid reject where zidane preferred two kids ( marco asensio and lucas vasquez ) ahead of him too. this just a reminder of how money… Read more »
I should go and support United? F*ck off I’d rather eat shit I just think they’ve bought a superior striker and a player who’ll be at the forefront of PL scoring charts for the next 8yrs or so. And I think we’ve signed a player who won’t. It’s an Arsenal opinion board. if the club do well I praise them If they keep making the same mistakes I point them out. I’m happy for you guys to be overjoyed with fake hope, but when we’re out of the title race by the end of November and Morata+Lukaku are scoring the… Read more »
Criticism is easy. Anyone with a keyboard can utter their dissapointments. “… surrounding himself with weak willed and minded players…” yeah like Viera, Gilberto, Koscielny, Lehman, Alexis, Coq, and many many more. You are so Rich that you´re full of it
You wouldn´t know the strength of mind to reach top level football if it was stearing you right in the face.
Not sure I agree with this. You’ve got to look at the context of the team – no player stands alone in quality, except the Ronaldo’s of this world. Arsenal needed a versatile, quick striker with fantastic finishing and linking-up abilities. That’s because our style of play (“Wengerball”) is comprised of quick, combination football. Lukaku is just another Giroud, albeit better at dribbling and a little faster. Giroud is actually a fantastic finisher and links up with the team well, but only in certain situations. He doesn’t get behind the defense and play on the shoulder, instead excelling with his… Read more »
I never got why anyone would want us to sign Lukaku. He really is just more of what we’ve already got, and people complain about what we have all the time.
This is – of course – pseudo analysis, from an ‘armchair’ perspective. I think the fact Atletico Madrid wanted him speaks for itself. He’s a striker, who excelled in a league that a lot of great players started their careers in. I’m not sure how old you are, but when Henry signed for us, he was dubbed as the “French Perry Groves”. Yes, Henry had already won a World Cup when he arrived and I’m not foolish enough to compare Lacazzette to Henry (at this stage). But, it’d be short sighted to write the French league off as “crap”. I… Read more »
I disagree on Morata, although I think you’ll be right about Lukaku (no matter how shit he is, technically). I said a much when we were linked to Morata as I’ll say now: he’s the type of player I love watching as long as he doesn’t play for my team. He’s great at everything other than scoring goals. I get his minutes/goals stat, but when you’re coming on as a sub for Real/Juve with the game won 75% of the time and the other team tired, you’re likely to get goals – look at Giroud’s record as a sub vs… Read more »
as a football fan first and foremost i agree with what Rich points . lukaku and morata are far better option than lacazette . hell you just need to look at the transfer money spent on all three to know the quality of three . even if bigger transfer fees doesnt mean better player every time as there are other factors to consider , in most cases the fees and quality is relatable . according to one report i read wenger even approached lukaku last year , but was subsequently knocked back because of the price . and their is… Read more »
Lukaku and Morata are not more superior than Lacazette. Saying that both those strikers are stronger and taller and thats why you think they will peform better than Lacazette is just being naive. By now you should have known a players peformance is not reliant on a his stature otherwise players like aguero and Sanchez would be shite. Lacazette is very strong in the challenge, has low COG therefor very stable acceptably fast, can loose defenders easily and creates good spaces for himself add to that the fact that he is clinical and very calm in front of goal. The… Read more »
26 goals excluding penalties is a poor return on goals because it’s the French league? Wow..your negativity knows no bound.
As opposed to underperforming post madonas
Well said Rich, we still have the same manager & coaching team, nothing much has changed.
We have signed two decent players but could do with a couple more, we haven’t shifted the deadwood due to their excessive wages & Ox, Ozil & Alexis don’t appear to be interested in re-signing with the club.
People want to hope things will be different & that’s understandable, but burying you head in the sand is only a temporarily measure. There is nothing to suggest that this season won’t be another struggle.
We finished outside the top 4, not outside the relegation zone.we started the league Undefeated (apart from opening day) for 20 games. And ended the season strong.
People that are so negative forget that it’s small margins, and if anything we struggled to kill games for the last few seasons.
Who is more a ruthless finisher? Lukaku, morata or lacazette? I think out of those 3 we got what we needed.
Small margins –
Arsenal’s record against Spurs/United/City/Chelsea/Liverpool last year –
P10 W2 D3 L5
Arsenal’s away record against the top-6 in the Premier League since 2012/13:
WDLLLLLLWLLDWLDLDLDDL
Wins: 3
Goals: 26
Conceded: 47
But yeah, ‘small margins”.
The way we finished last season under the new formation is cause for optimism. Add new players to enhance our attack, then there is no reason we cant challenge for the title. A Lemar or Mahrez playing on the right wing would make us very dangerous. COYG!
Oh yeah those pesky pre-Madonas. Always coming before Madona like they do.
Lukaku and Morata are better options than Lacazette. I’ve been watching Lacazette and I think he’s gotten slower or isn’t as fast as I thought. I honestly don’t think he’s worth 52m and we should’ve gone for aubamayeng instead. He would get more goals.
Lukaku and Morata cost more but the only measurement that is relevant will show up in may 2018. Goals and assists. Lets see. I bet Lacazette will beat them both. Bag of peanuts on the table – what say you?
Lukaku will definitely score more than Lacazette. Matter of fact, I would be shocked if Lacazette scored more than 25 in the league.
You still haven’t learnt Trez. Keep it up, your always worth a ?
I really enjoyed the PRE-MADONNA banter! Great fun.
The boss is bossing it!
very satisfying to see Arsenal being a bit cocky
Reports of crazy wage demands everywhere. Folk is simply masking greed with cl ambition. Sad!
Or maybe the whole story was BS from day one and now the paper is printing further BS to account for failure of the first pile to come true.
Personally I’m never that keen when players seem to want to move away from the club. I’d prefer to just sell them. It’s unrealistic maybe, but I always want players who love Arsenal and want to stay. That’s why it’s such a shame to lose Szczęsny.
Also in the past Arsene has been reluctant to play someone in the final year of their contract when they haven’t signed, so even if we keep Sanchez will we see that much of him playing come January?
“My friend, my friend, look what your agent has done. He whispers you can get twice, thrice if you go to Bayern, if you go to PSG. But now, Arsenal is sipping their tea, and said no sell. Now you’re here for another year, getting the same wage, my friend”.
Slightly off topic but I feel we should try for Matuidi. He just has a year left on his contract. We’re anyway looking for a CM/DM. I think he will be perfect alongside Xhaka
Wenger won’t jettison Ramsey for Matuidi
We are in trouble if we start season relying on Ramsey I’m afraid. We need a quality midfielder alongside xhaka
I think he should play Iwobi next to Xhaka. Think we would get the technical security we lost with Santi being unavailable, he would bring much needed strength in that position and if he can be taught to have an eye on defence, he might have a bigger impact than Santi helping to defend, just based on his size. Think him or Ox, given time, are the obvious choices here. Externally maybe Renato Sanches, possibly Lemar (who from the conclusive youtube clips I’ve seen he always drifts centrally as I remember Pires doing). Ramsey is an excellent player in his… Read more »
I’ve always clamoured for Matuidi, he makes the French team look solid and fluid. Though, I’ve not watched much of him at PSG but the guy never misses international games. He’s a player I admire so much cus he has good qualities:strong, great with the ball at his feet, can dribble, tackle and also creates/score goals. This said, I’ve only watched him play for France I don’t know if he also replicates the same performance for his club(This reminds me of a certain Ramsey).
Clearly Arsene is taking the piss out of the tabloids. One day it’s this player, the next it’s that. Don’t know why anyone believes any of this sh*t, really…
Yeah, I don’t think he was saying PSG is going after Neymar because they can’t get Alexis. I think he’s saying the papers are making up stories about Neymar because the stories they made up about Alexis have petered out.
It really is good news. My only concern is in 6 months time he signs a pre-agreement to join another club and that may disrupt the team momentum midway through the season, if he doesn’t sign an extension that is. It means we will be safe for the next 6 months, instead of a year.
Oh no how will we ever survive such an ordeal
Well f he is greedy and he wants more cash this year and we are clear that a sale is not happening then maybe a contract will be signed with a sensible release clause. Something like what Suarez did at Liverpool. Would seem like a win win for all involved.
Of course he could forgo a little extra now on the promise of a big signing on bonus if he moves for free.
He must be getting as bored of saying this as I am of reading about it
All those years Wenger didn’t want to sell his best players like RVP etc. But the board was like, umm no we need the money.
Finally, Wenger can unleash the years of fury that had been raging inside of him, now that the board is adamant too that they won’t sell.
Plot-twist: August 1 – PSG buy Sanchez for £70m
If they sign Sanchez for 70m it’s a steal… He is worth at least 80m in this market. He is in his prime and is a player that can guarantee 10-15 goals a season in the Premier League let alone in Ligue 1.
You can see that there is a fight everywhere to get top players. Everywhere except AFC.
And Wenger has a good relationship with PSG owners so he should know. Can’t we just get Martin Keown to talk to Sanchez in a dark room?
Club will sell if Alexis really pushes for it and PSG pays the right amount. Wenger talks tough and doesn’t fulfill anything.
What’s ‘The right amount’?
Been a silent reader for very long.. but I don’t get this negativity around Laca signing.. Also, u guys seem to forget he was the no.1 choice for Atleti to replace Greizmann and I can’t remember a time when Atleti went wrong with a striker choice!! Time to back the team!Coyg!
Sanchez has got one year to go on his contract and we have no need to make money. He will be part of the team next year.” i liked this quote from Wenger. Chapter closed!
Blogs, looks like he’s talking about L’Equipe going for the Neymar story just like those journalists interviewing him need a story. Three days back the story was Sanchez and now it’s Neymar.
just wait folks. Some of us never learn.
He’s talking about the press inventing stories.
Does not mean he won’t sell Alexis.
😉