Arsenal: Nothing better than a little for Alexis Sanchez

Manchester City believe that they can sign Alexis Sanchez on a cut-price deal in January, potentially as little £20 million. Arsenal would be better resigning themselves to nothing six months later, than accepting such a paltry figure.

As soon as Arsenal’s £92 million move for Thomas Lemar fell through, they were committed to a particular path. Whether you side with Arsene Wenger’s thinking or not, what cannot be questioned is after the decisions made on deadline day, there is no turning back; the path that they have chosen, they must now walk.

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The path that I refer to, obviously, is the decision to spurn the opportunity to sell Alexis Sanchez, with a £60 million offer from Manchester City on the table, allowing him to enter the final year of his contract, even with the threat of losing him for nothing just 12 months later looming.

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However, if reports on Wednesday morning are to be accepted, City, who are still keenly interested in exploring the possibility of reuniting Pep Guardiola with his former Barcelona attacker, believe that they will be able to sign Sanchez on a cut-price deal in January, potentially for as little as £20 million with Arsenal desperate to recuperate any sort of value for their star player.

I have no information pertaining to the accuracy of the reports. They may be true; they might not be. But it nonetheless proposes the question: If Arsenal are offered some kind of fee in January for Sanchez, should they take it, or should they stay committed to keeping him, even though the likelihood is that they lose him for free just six months later?

Well, I believe that the latter would be the wiser and more progressive course of action, especially if there is a chance of a trophy, top-four position or even title by the time the new year rolls around.

If Sanchez is playing a prominent role in some semblance of success, then keeping him for another six months, rejecting what is a fairly insignificant fee for a club of their size, stature and revenue, seems obvious.

In fact, even if troubles have hit and the team is struggling for form, as long as Sanchez is motivated and fit, then such is his inspirational quality, that if any turn around were to occur during the closing stages of the season, it would be likely that he would be at the heart of it.

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For Arsenal, £20 million is such a negligible fee — they rejected that for Calum Chambers in the summer, to put it into context —  that six months of Sanchez is worth far more than City would ever be willing to invest. Wenger and the club have chosen their path. It’s now time to walk it.