Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez has one last test of good faith before he leaves

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insisted that Alexis Sanchez would always give 100% for the club, but the Chilean still has one more test of good faith.

Arsenal appear resolved to letting Alexis Sanchez leave, while Mesut Ozil‘s future is skewing more into the middle ground, as opposed to a sure exit like we thought at the start of the season. But even with Alexis with one foot out of the door, some important discussions need to be had.

For starters, I don’t care what people say, Alexis should be grateful for his time at the Emirates. I’m sure he was expecting to win big things when he moved here and it’s a real pisser that he didn’t, but big picture, Arsenal did so much for his career.

The Chilean had been a star at Barcelona, but he was a star in a shadow. He needed somewhere to assert himself as a world class superstar, and that chance came with the Gunners.

Since come to Arsenal, Alexis is now counted as one of the best players in the world, whereas prior to his move, he was counted as a top player, but certainly a medium sized fish in a big pond. He is a household name now, a veritable icon.

That said, any sort of ill-will Alexis may have towards the club for not reaching the heights they set out too should be moot. Ideally, I would like to believe that it’s all hogwash and that he has no sort of negative feelings towards Arsenal, but I won’t fully believe that until he passes one last test of character.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

That last test is to not go to Manchester City. I get that Alexis will always pursue what is best for his career, and that reuniting with Pep Guardiola may be something that tickles his fancy, but the implications of such a move are akin to spitting on the time he had with the Gunners. And I don’t say that lightly.

There are other options. Plenty of options. Alexis has said that he wants to assert himself at the top level of world football and the Premier League is certainly that, but he has asserted himself. We know what he is capable of. The whole world does. Go to Real Madrid. Go to Bayern Munich. Anywhere that doesn’t look like a disgruntled jump to a rival.

Maybe this is sentimentality speaking, but I don’t want to have to think of Alexis the way I think of Robin van Persie, as a man who could have been an Arsenal legend but shirked that and went to a direct rival. That time is supposed to be over.

Next: Arsenal's 15 Greatest Strikers Ever

Problem is, City look the most likely. Alexis wants to win the Premier League title, he has made that clear. That’s why him opting not to go to City would show a steely resolve of character, knowing what such a move would mean to the fans that loved him.

Home/Arsenal News