Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez Departure A Necessary Evil

Next summer, Alexis Sanchez can join anyone he so chooses. Arsenal may be best served by welcoming the necessary evil of a departure abroad this summer.

The summer of 2012 was a dark one for Arsenal fans. After yet another trophyless season, their seventh in succession, and scraping into the top four thanks to a late-season rally, they could only watch as Robin van Persie, the man who had inspired what greatness they had been able to conjure up that year, waltzed his way north and into the grateful arms of Manchester United.

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The Dutchman proceeded to form a ruthless striking partnership with Wayne Rooney, scoring 26 goals, and firing Sir Alex Ferguson to his final Premier League title after a glittering managerial career. It was, undoubtedly, difficult to watch.

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And that horror is exactly what threatens to rear its ugly head once again. Both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, the two stars of the Arsenal squad over the past few seasons, have just one year remaining on their current deals from the end of the season. Fast forward another year, and both will be able to take their pick from a plethora of clubs with Arsenal helpless to prevent them from joining one of their direct rivals.

Although there is still the slim chance that they could re-sign with the Gunners, as time passes and their frustration, especially Sanchez, with life at the Emirates visibly grows, a departure becomes an increasingly likely result. As such, Arsene Wenger and the club may be best served by working off of the expectation that they will indeed leave.

Using such a perspective, suddenly the priorities shift from one of ensuring that they stay with the club, no matter the risk, to guaranteeing that their destination is one that offers as little damage as possible. It is for those reasons that rumours linking Sanchez to a move abroad, with Paris Saint-Germain heavily touted as a possible landing spot, are so prominent.

Certainly, the best possibility is that Sanchez makes the unlikely decision of choosing to stay in North London and signs a new contract. But we live in a world where the ideal scenario is difficult to find. We must often choose compromise over perfection.

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And that is what the Gunners must now do. They must choose the necessary evil of a Sanchez departure, if he is unwilling to negotiate a new contract, such that he does not join a domestic rival, much like van Persie all those years ago.