Arsenal: Arsene Wenger’s ominous warning highlights deadline day debacle

Arsene Wenger has stated that Arsenal could lose both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil on a free next summer. His ominous warning serves to expose the deadline day debacle that left the Gunners in this difficult, untenable position.

Arsenal’s deadline day did not go to the plan. While the result may seem like a positive one — some key departures were engineered, Alexis Sanchez stayed –, the methodology brought nothing but shame and embarrassment on a club stained by their hapless work in the transfer window.

Related Story: Arsenal: 5 things that must happen after deadline day

Arsene Wenger, renowned for hesitancy and undeserved loyalty to his players, seemed panicked. He scrambled to replace Sanchez with a £92 million offer for Thomas Lemar, only to pull out of the deal minutes later amid fears that it could not be completed before the fastly approaching deadline, he allowed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain without ever looking for even half a replacement, and then he loaned out a number of players in an attempt to simply get their wages off the books.

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It seemed panicked. That’s because it was panicked. However, having said all of that, the two biggest concerns entering the summer — the futures of Sanchez and Mesut Ozil — have been settled: both will stay in North London for at least another season. But while initially that may have been seen as a positive, after further reflection, that might not possibly be the case, as Wenger has rather starkly portrayed. In ominous fashion, Wenger revealed that both Ozil and Sanchez could leave next summer for nothing:

"“When you cannot do it [sell a high-quality player], you keep the player, and you make a financial sacrifice because at the end of the day what you want is to have a team with good potential and top quality. So Alexis Sanchez will go, like Mesut Ozil, in the final year of his contract, or you think that during the season you find a way to extend the contract, or at the end of the season the players go for free.”"

Now, that is not an especially surprising statement; everyone knew that this was the eventuality that would face the club should they choose to reject any offers for the pair — though, it must be said, that it feels a little more real and substantial coming from Wenger, rather than a mere pundit or analyst.

However, the warning, primarily, goes to serve the exposing of Arsenal’s hapless work during deadline day. The problem that many had with selling either Sanchez or Ozil was the fear that a replacement would not be found. But a replacement, in Lemar, was found, at least for the former.

Wenger had the opportunity to breathe a lease of life, an exuberance and enthusiasm of youth into the squad by replacing a 28-year-old entering the final year of his contract with an exciting, unknown but intriguing, highly-touted 21-year-old. But he didn’t. And now, it’s probable, that in 12 months, Arsenal will be without either of them.

Next: Arsenal: 5 deadline day things that make no sense

The deadline day was not handled with the care and attention that was needed. Wenger was unprepared; he had no clear plan to implement. He was uncertain, he lacked ruthlessness and left his business, as always, too late. And his warning of losing both Sanchez and Ozil for nothing next year only exposes that.