Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez Is Important But No Man Is Bigger Than The Club

Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez shows his frustration at being substituted during the Premier League match at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)
Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez shows his frustration at being substituted during the Premier League match at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea. (Photo by Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) /
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The controversy surrounding star man Alexis Sanchez has heightened in recent weeks. Despite his importance to the club, he will never be bigger than Arsenal itself.

It’s been tough not to be absorbed in all the stories surrounding Alexis Sanchez in the past few days. After being left on the bench for Arsenal’s crucial game last weekend, the unrest was at its climax. Reports claimed Sanchez had stormed out of training and teammates had to be restrained on his return to the dressing room.

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Arsene Wenger played down the incident as false rumours from the press but his claim that leaving Sanchez on the bench was a tactical decision seems farfetched to me. Not playing the best player in your side has to have some alternative reasoning behind it.

Newspapers suggest Sanchez is frustrated by a lack of fight from his fellow teammates and has visibly shown this frustration in the last few months with glove throwing and mini tantrums. Some call it passion and a will to win while others call it selfish behaviour. Whatever the case, our Chilean superstar doesn’t look content.

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With his contract dwindling down, the prospect of keeping Sanchez at the club beyond this summer looks bleak. Despite this, Arsenal should not be turned over by a frustrated individual looking to force a move. Even if his frustration is merited, no player (even legends like Gerrard, Lampard or Giggs) will ever be bigger than the club itself.

That being said, I won’t play down Sanchez’s importance to this side. The Chilean has contributed to more goals than anyone else in the league (26 in his last 26). And he has saved Arsenal’s blushes multiple times this season. If ever there was a player in the history of the club that was crucial to the club’s success it has been Sanchez recently.

As painful as it seems, the reality is that Sanchez is quite likely to leave this summer. Juventus and PSG are already salivating at the thought of Sanchez in their side. So they will look to snap him up as soon as he becomes available.

Yet if leaves, Arsenal will move on. Legends like Henry and Vieira left the club and we still remained competitive. You would hope that the funds from the sale of Sanchez would be reinvested into a direct replacement. Sanchez is a unique player and one of the best to have graced the club. But players like Insigne, Reus or Griezmann would surely go some way to filling the void.

Having a stable dressing room environment with one less superstar is better than having a build-up of toxicity due to one man’s unrest. You only have to look across London at West Ham to see the problems an unsettled player can cause with the saga surrounding Dimitri Payet.

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This summer could prove pivotal in the context of Arsenal’s future. Sanchez, Ozil and Wenger are all unsure on their next move. So it could be a very interesting few months in store for Gooners across the globe. Yet whatever happens, Arsenal was there before the 3 above arrived and Arsenal will remain if they leave. No one man will ever be bigger than this football club.