Arsenal: £80 million for Alexis Sanchez ridiculously brilliant

Arsenal are reportedly demanding Manchester City pay £80 million to secure the services of Alexis Sanchez. While that may seem a ridiculous figure, it is brilliant all the same.

The departure of key players is never beneficial for the advancement of a squad. As Arsenal have painfully discovered in the past, it is extremely difficult to continually replace the production that certain players offer, even when being able to invest in the money receieved from their sale in several other options.

From Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry, all the way through to Robin van Persie and Alex Song, Arsene Wenger has repeatedly had to manage a squad that has been ravaged by other clubs, primarily because he lacks the backing to offer the same eye-watering wages that are being demanded by the world’s best players.

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And since the departure of van Persie in 2012, Arsenal have been able to be more resilient in the retention of their own players, having not sold a single player that Wenger would have seen as a prominent cog in his intricate machine. The benefits of that have been easy to see with, on paper at least, this being the strongest squad that Wenger has assembled in over a decade.

However, such rosy times are under threat. After three excellent seasons in North London, placing himself on a level and calibre above what Arsenal can claim to attract or command and attracting interest from some of the established and successful club across the continent, Alexis Sanchez is reportedly wanting to leave. That would be a major blow.

Given that he has just one year remaining on his current contract, it is fair to say that Sanchez holds all the power at the negotiating table, with the threat of losing him for nothing in just a year’s time.

So Arsenal, in their wisdom, are reportedly demanding £80 million from the club thought to be in the lead: Manchester City. While that may seem like a ridiculous figure for what is essentially just one year of the Chilean’s services, it is as equally brilliant from Wenger.

They will not get £80 million for Sanchez. But in asking for it, they are showing a resilient edge to their negotiations that means that, if they are forced to sell, they will maximise the value they receive. They are showing that they are willing to keep Sanchez for the year, even with the risk of losing him for a free 12 months later, and are ensuring that City are aware of how hard it will be to complete a deal.

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Demanding £80 million for a player in Sanchez’s situation is utterly ridiculous. And yet, it’s fantastic at exactly the same time. If the Gunners are forced into selling, let’s hope they are able to secure the best possible result.

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