Arsene Wenger says Alexis Sanchez is the type of player who isn’t bothered by media speculation and insists the striker is happy and focused ahead of his first game of the new Premier League season.
Having recovered from an abdominal strain, the Chile international is set to be included in Arsenal’s squad for Sunday’s trip to Anfield and will then travel to his homeland for World Cup qualification duty. By the time he returns to the UK, the transfer window will be shut and the boss made clear he expects his star man to still be an Arsenal player.
“He works very hard, he’s very focused,” said Wenger on Thursday morning.
“He gives absolutely everything, he loves so much to play that we cannot stop him. He looks ready, he’s not played for a long time so I will have to decide what I do with him but he’s ready to play.
“We have to make that decision [whether to start him], it’s Thursday today and we play on Sunday. Overall, he looks in good shape, he’s worked very hard.”
He added: “He has always been focused on his job. He loves to play football and I don’t think he’s too much disturbed by all the noises. Players at that level are used to it now, some deal with it better than others. He’s one of them who is not too much bothered by that.
“He’s very focused, he’s very happy. The fact I told you he goes into the last year of his contract doesn’t mean that we have no chance to extend it. At the moment we haven’t managed to do it, I agree. We will just focus as a team and not look too much at the individual conditions of the contracts of everybody. What is important is what we want to achieve together.”
Despite hinting that he’s not given up hope of Alexis signing a new deal at the Emirates, the boss stopped short of saying he was optimistic about an extension.
of course Alexis is unfazed. He holds all the cards. It’s just a question of when he leaves, not if.
Your last line is true for every Arsenal player ever.
I am entirely ready to be surprised by anything at this point.
Well given your readiness, whatever happens will no longer be a surprise to you
Go on Alexis, give yourself to be an Arsenal legend and sign up.
Or leave and become a mercenary.
Like he would care. Just like Van Persie, Nasri, Fabregas and co cared.
Mercenary? Or leave and win trophies I think you meant to say.
You guys just don’t get it do you? We are not a top team anymore.
I suppose you are one of the toxic fans who doesn’t rate the FA cup as a trophy
Not one that will attract the big names we need to fight for the major trophies.
Guess you are one of those Arsene fans that will just accept mediocrity for the team because of your fanboy type support of the manager…
I mean do you actually believe finishing 5th, 18 points behind the champions, got our arses handed to us again in the champs league, but winning the FA Cup makes us a ‘top team?’
Wait, wait…are you saying that Man City and Man U are not top teams then? City finished 15 points behind Chelsea and Man U finished 24 points behind them! And you can’t say that City is a top team because they’re drastically better than us this year…they lead us in the table by 1 point, haha. Your logic seems to be inconsistent when talking about Arsenal.
Utd won a European trophy at least and will be fightign for the league this year. City will do the same.
Arsenal won’t even come close.
And united won that trophy with a team that finished 6 points behind us.
Your point being?
10 years of examples is my point…
But for some reason delusional optimists think that we are actually going to challenge this year despite having jusy about the exact same squad with the exact same manager using the exact same tactics that have failed time and time again.
You know what sucks? If we do challenge this year, there’s no way you’ll give any credit to Wenger or the squad. Instead you’ll just celebrate (for a short time) like the rest of us before going back to your negative views. Zero accountability when you take such a doom and gloom approach after 2 games.
Luckily for me I guess that will never happen this year.
So I guess the fact that you are disgusted that we can only play for the same European trophy that they won and you just praised, but belittle the FA Cup that Chelsea, Tottenham, ManC and ManU all had a chance to win but couldn’t is irrevelant. And let’s not forget that we had to beat ManC in the semi-final, and Chelsea in the final. I guess, to you, “a loving and loyal Arsenal fan” doesn’t add weight to the useless FA Cup trophy. Come on, you might be frustrated by finishing out of the top 4 in 21 years,… Read more »
10 years of waiting is more than fair and reasonable…
There will be only one team at the top at a time
On the other hand, you get it and they do it for trophies, sure :))).
It’s 99% money, but of course, their day job is a bit more enjoyable if they don’t lose all the time, but that’s about it.
What does a legendary status in a club fetch you these days? It couldn’t keep the legendary Ryan Giggs in the Manchester United dugout.
If he were to honour his contract then he has the right to go anywhere
…except Sp*rs. If players honour their contracts and then leave in a dignified and respectable way, then it’s something every football fan should respect.
Or leave and win a title. Why does every good player that leaves us have to be a mercenary. They leave to win big titles and with that comes more money. You may not like it but its true for the majority of big names that have gone
How many can we name that left Arsenal and went on to win major trophies at their new clubs? Plenty is the answer. Only Wenger zealots view these players as mercenaries.
Imagine Arsenal fans wanting players to be loyal to Arsenal. Ludicrous!
Why should they if Arsenal are not being loyal to them in terms of ambition and what not?
Human nature my friend.
Why is a player who leaves, even if it is for more money, a mercenary, but a player who comes to Arsenal, even if it is for more money, a hero? Why did Podolski leave Cologne–and what did their supporters think? What do Lyon’s fans think about Lacazette leaving?
The ones that have generally go to Man City or Chelsea. Two clubs that were languishing until they were bought out by oil rich sugar daddy’s. Call me old fashioned, but I’d rather just earn a few million a year an play for a club with principles, a club that has earnt the right to compete. As a fan of city or Chelsea, I’d struggle to get passionate about it. What are you supporting? Some fucking billionaire James Bond villain from Russia or the Middle East. If that happened to us I’d be straight down the road to barnet.
A club with Principles? What exactly is or are Arsenals principles? Losing to mid table teams that we are better than on paper? Or the rich owner billing us 3million USD for some analysis?
IMHO a football clubs first principle is to win trophies, prestigious ones like league, Champions league, super cup and then once in a while the bonus of FA cups.
So billionaire villains are ok if they’re from the good ol’ US of A?
This is one of the more ridiculous and prejudiced comments I’ve read on here. Sounds like you’ve watched too many wrestlemanias from the 80s…or too many bond films and thought they were real
Since Rvp which big players have left us ?
Not many, because not many have joined since he left.
The only true ‘big’ players have been Sanchez and Ozil with the former wanting to leave and with both refusing to sign an extension.
You are relentlessly fun
truth hurts to some I guess.
You no what’s not relentlessly fun? Wenger doing the same nonsense year after year and expecting a different result. What’s even less fun is his sycophants supporting it year after year.
Do you cry yourself to sleep over it? It’s football init? It can’t all be fairy dust and unicorns. You gotta take the rough with the smooth. Wenger will be gone soon and it’ll be shit or bust when he does. Might as well support the team in the meantime.
That’s the problem. I do support the team, but for some criticizing Arsene is akin to criticizing Arsenal.
They are not one and the same.
Seems we ll sign 2 players this week. PREPARE FOR THE WORSE WHILE PRAYING FOR THE BEST.
Sell him ffs and move on already. I seriously believe at the moment selling him and replacing him would do us more good than keeping hold of him and letting him go for free!
Sell him for 75-80 million and move fu**ing on!
Yeah, take the money and buy some players we need
You’re talking as if there’s an offer on the table. Why would anyone pay that much if they know they can get him for free in a year’s time. Only PSG or City would actually be mad enough to spend anywhere near that amount now.
There are certainly some ambitious teams around who would want to win the title.. and those teams would love to sign him..
At first even I was impressed by the fact that Arsenal have their footballing ambitions on the forefront but you know the lack ambition in the transfer market just scares me..
The only point of keeping hold of Sanchez would to win the title.. and just remember that it would be nothing short of an absolute disaster if we let both Sanchez and Ozil walk away for free and not win the title.
Yeah I bet Sanchez is raring to pull on the shirt and give 100% for Arsenal.
What delusional idiot believes keeping a player against his will is going to work?
Ah yes – Arsene Wenger…
Have you ever seen him not give 100% ? It’s not in his nature to play any other way. What idiot believes he won’t ?
“We will just focus as a team and not look too much at the individual conditions of the contracts of everybody.”
Oh boy, we gonna look like Oprah next summer with all those free giveaways.
We are running a buy none get 1 free promo
An Alexis hat trick against Liverpool this weekend will do.
Winning the fa cup was a huge paper over the cracks moment. Im amazed at the utter lack of direction from anyone in charge despite all the catalyst talk giving this manager another 2 year deal with zero direction is beyond a joke. He has not changed one bit and is even more stubborn knowing he won the contract battle. This summer we were just as unprepared in the transfer market despite it being blinding oblivious to everyone the amount of work that was needed. Stubborn, Inflexible, Unprepared, Hostile to moving with the times, a not traits you look for… Read more »
Alexis has always given his all for us on the pitch. We all know he is not going to win anything with this lot of players. 35M we paid for him has been repaid many folds. If he wants to go, I would wish him well.
Why gunners players always concern other fans..
I only agree with the second half of your comment, but can’t select up and down arrows at the same time.
Is he doing a Ibrahimovic?
confusion…. hope… sadness…. expectation… delusion…. Dont know what to think about all this right now.
Only 2 things I’m sure about:
– we are not in the best mood and atmosphere to prepare an away game, esp against Liverpool
– it’s at the end of the fair that you count the poos (our french away to say “… till the fat lady sings”)
I hope the shitey state of mind we are in right now will turn to joy & excitment before Aug 31st
Chalk and cheese with Alexis in the squad. Surprise Barca are spending so much time and energy on Coutinho (granted younger)…they could have easily brought Alexis back on account of found defective DNA. And for less money plus we made him into a true world class player where they did not give him the opportunity…maybe that’s the reason…ego. Whatever happens I think depends on PSG if they still need anyone (if they sign Mbappe on loan). The diff of course between Ox and Alexis is we have option (slim) to sell him other than domestic to a rival. I’m not… Read more »