Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez return brings about tragic final chapter

Arsenal look to be on their last leg with Alexis Sanchez, which means that his return should bring about some rather saddening revelations.

I don’t really get sentimental here on Pain in the Arsenal very often. But in the case of this particular subject matter, I think there is plenty to get sentimental about.

Arsene Wenger has noted that Alexis Sanchez is fit as a fiddle to face Liverpool, meaning that the very last chapter of Alexis’s journey with the Gunners has begun. The last season of his contract, a contract that Wenger himself is not very optimistic about renewing.

You know when you’re reading a book and you can feel that the pages are winding down but you’ve gotten really attached to the protagonist? That’s what I feel like is going on now.

For the past few years, Alexis has been the protagonist of the Arsenal story. He’s been fighting against so many forces to lift the Gunners to some sort of glory and, thus far, it hasn’t been terribly successful. I won’t undermine the FA Cup successes, which are certainly something to be proud of, but it’s not the heights they were supposed to reach.

The first of the pages of his last chapter will be turned when h takes the pitch against Liverpool. And I know that sounds corny but hey, I’m a writer. And something about knowing that he is leaving while still watching him perform at his best seems poetic.

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For as big as the Mesut Ozil signing was, for all the walls that it shattered, when Alexis Sanchez joined, it was on. Here was an undisputed world class player who brought so much to a club that seemingly lacked everything he had.

To know that all of that is ending, well, that’s kind of sad.

And yet, there is inevitably always a sense of hope. In the sense that this is a story, we can always hope that there is a sequel. Just because Alexis doesn’t want to sign right now doesn’t mean that he can’t change his mind.

He is a human, after all.

And just because Arsenal seem to be struggling right now doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to right the ship and make an honest-to-goodness title charge with Alexis leading the pack, but not doing it alone.

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This is a hard chapter to watch, but it should be celebrated too. That is, unless he goes to Manchester City. In which case I need to rethink this whole ‘protagonist’ thing.

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