Arsenal: Is Arsene Wenger An Idiot?

Arsene Wenger has stated that he believes Alexis Sanchez wants to stay at Arsenal. For an apparently intelligent man, is he an idiot?

Arsenal are suffering through a season in which the prominent narratives engulfing the squad have centred on the futures of many of the significant figures of the club, from within the playing personnel to the backroom staff to the fate of the man who moulded the club into his image over the past two decades.

Arsene Wenger’s contract expires at the end of the season and, while there has been an offer of an extension on the table for some time and rumours suggesting that he will indeed accept that offer, uncertainty is still the prevalent feeling regarding his future.

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Another who is playing under the cloud of uncertainty is Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean has been Arsenal’s best player this season, leading the team’s Premier League scoring charts with 18 from both a central position and a wide berth.

However, his contract has just one more year from this summer and if the club want to secure a suitable return, they may well be forced to sell him in the coming months. Asked whether he feels Sanchez will stay or not, Wenger did state that, although negotiations regarding a new deal have stalled, he believes Sanchez does indeed want to stay in North London:

"“I believe that he wants to stay at the club and it is about doing a deal with his agent. The players have to see if they’re happy and find an agreement. Finances are also involved in that.”"

Now, I am a mere writer with no inside knowledge of the inner workings of the club, the atmosphere of the dressing room and the happiness of Sanchez. However, given the storyline that has progressed through the season, one that has hinted at a growing frustration with life at the Emirates, it seems naive to suggest that Sanchez wants to stay at Arsenal.

He has repeatedly stropped on the sidelines when substituted off. He barks at his teammates when he feels they are not putting the effort that he expects of them. He even had a training ground bust-up that saw him dropped from the starting lineup for the crucial trip to Anfield that Arsenal subsequently lost after a nightmare first-half display.

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That is not the behaviour of someone who wants to stay. And yet, Wenger continues to profess his belief that Sanchez does indeed hope to remain at the Emirates. Only time will tell as to whether Wenger is right, but currently, it seems to fair to ask: Is Arsene Wenger an idiot?

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