Arsenal: Juan Cuadrado bid a harbinger for bad tidings

Arsenal are not being shy with their bidding this summer, but the nature of who they are bidding for should carry a bit of concern.

Arsenal has seemingly let some golden opportunities pass them by this transfer window. Corentin Tolisso and Andre Silva, both of whom would have fit two separate needs, passed on to other teams for a very reasonably fee of £35m.

Aside from that, the ongoing Alexandre Lacazette and Kylian Mbappe sagas will hold our attention all summer.

Then there is the other class of bids that they are making, or players they are pursuing. They all have one thing in common. They look to be similar players to Alexis Sanchez. Between Thomas Lemar and Riyad Mahrez, we see two attackers, both of whom could conceivably play the same position.

And now, with the reported bid for Juan Cuadrado, we are getting even closer.

According to the reports, the Gunners submitted a subtle £17.6m for the Chelsea reject, hoping to give him a chance at redemption in the most competitive league in the world. That bid was rejected, but the story doesn’t stop there. It feels like this bid is a harbinger for some particularly poor news – that Alexis Sanchez may not be as set as we (or at least I) thought.

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Cuadrado has his perks. He is a technically gifted South American with a fierce work rate. He’s no Alexis Sanchez, but if you were to draw a comparison, you could do far worse than comparing his style to that of the Chileans.

With the contract limbo of Alexis and the continued rumors that Manchester City, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are circling their prey, the warm and fuzzy feelings that come from seeing Alexis in an Arsenal shirt may be coming to an end.

While I must say, I’m not in panic mode yet, I can’t help but wonder why Wenger would be after all of these attackers when his main two attacking midfield positions are filled. Surely Lemar, Mahrez and Cuadrado wouldn’t be coming in to play a bit part role. Not when their situation at their current club is much better.

I’m no Nostradamus, but the clues are there for us to read into or simply ignore. Alexis has just a year on his contract left and even though Arsene Wenger said he would be here next year, he has said that about other players that he ended up selling.

Next: Arsenal's 30 Best Transfers Of Past 30 Years

I still have faith that Alexis can be swayed, but that faith is walking a tightrope through a burning building during an earthquake.

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