Arsenal: Arsene Wenger Got The Wrong End Of The Alexis Sanchez Stick

Arsene Wenger has stated that he does not understand the Arsenal fans’ Alexis Sanchez anxiety. Once more, he has got the complete wrong end of the stick.

The ever-growing division amid the Arsenal fanbase is quickly seeing this club degrade into a miserly state of ridicule from the rest of the footballing community. However, while that may be true, that does not mean that fans are not entitled to their opinions; they are and they have a right, within reason, to express those opinions.

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It is why the increasingly PR element of football clubs is having a greater influence on the public facing aspect of the modern game. The relationship between the club and its fans is one that is becoming more and more stressed and prominently influential. After all, tickets must be sold and income must be found.

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That is why Arsene Wenger’s recent comments regarding Alexis Sanchez, the reaction of the fans to the Chilean’s recent underwhelming form and uncertain future, and his standing in the Arsenal squad are so baffling. When asked to comment on the feeling of the fan base with regards to Sanchez and the ongoing contract disputes, Wenger admitted that he struggled to understand the fans’ fractious reaction:

"“He has one and a half year contract. I don’t understand that debate. Our job is to perform as long as we are here. I do not understand this kind of anxiety, it is absolutely denying what a professional guy is about.”"

That, though, is a short-sighted, naive assessment. It seems fairly obvious to nearly everyone other than Wenger himself that Sanchez is nearing a summer exit. His recent behaviour, his comments stating that he wants to stay in London with a winning club, his training ground bust-up all point to such an ending. And that, if there ever was one, is a reason for fans to be anxious regarding the state of the club.

So, for Wenger to suggest that fans’ anxiety is unfounded and misplaced is utterly ridiculous. Perhaps he has been slightly misquoted by many sections of the media and Wenger is unable to understand the fans’ concern regarding Sanchez’s recent body language and struggles on the pitch. If that is the case, then his comments, while still rather unjustified, are more understandable.

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What this ordeal does illustrate, though, is that Wenger is wholly out of touch, both with the worries of reality, and the feelings of the fanbase. This will only alienate him further to large portions of supporters, and justifiably so.