Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez ‘sickness’ more than a little sketchy

Arsenal were supposed to welcome Alexis Sanchez back to the club today, but he’s too sick to come to school today. Don’t pretend like this isn’t sketchy.

Let me start by saying I’m not a conspiracy theorist. There have been men on the moon, aliens didn’t build the ancient world and the Illuminati are probably just an underground chess club. Same goes with Arsenal, I don’t buy that Arsene Wenger only wants fourth place.

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That said, when something smells fishy enough, I’m not going to turn a blind eye (a blind nostril?) and say that it isn’t sketchy. And Alexis Sanchez taking more time off to add to the extended off season he has already had is certainly in the category of sketchy.

Okay, he has the flu. That may be perfectly true, I’m not here to debate that. That pouting face in his Instagram photo was all I needed to see (I think that was a joke), but then there is his track record.

Alexis has always, always, been ready to return to training. Some times even earlier than expected. He works harder than anyone else, training in his spare time, on his own and even when he isn’t supposed to be training at all.

That’s why I can’t help but raise an eyebrow or two at the idea that Alexis, sick or not, decided to stay home for two more days rather than reuniting with his team mates and getting back into things. Even if that meant going light in training for a couple days.

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Am I alone in this? This really doesn’t sound like Alexis and while I won’t take it so far as to say it’s a sign that he is leaving, I will take it far enough to say I think it is a sign that he might not be all that excited to be back with the club.

I mean, we have guys like Aaron Ramsey playing through Chinese food poisoning for the club and Alexis is at home, wearing scarves indoors and cuddling with his dogs when the flu hits him.

Maybe I’m just bitter that he won’t sign a new deal, but I doubt it. And I think we will know soon enough. He doesn’t hide his emotions very well and if what I suspect is true, that he doesn’t really want to be here, then we will find out very early on in the new campaign.

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It’s a bit troublesome, but hopefully it’s nothing more than my overactive mind.