Arsenal: Selling Alexis Sanchez with key caveat makes absolute sense

Arsenal are reportedly happy to sell Alexis Sanchez this January with the caveat that they can find a suitable replacement. That makes absolute sense.

It seems as though Alexis Sanchez will leave Arsenal in the coming days and weeks before January has come to pass. It is not, given the trajectory of the recent reports, not an exactly ground-breaking revelation. In fact, I would argue that it is now the expectation, not the exaggeration of the media.

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The latest to weigh in on the growing mound of reports is BBC Sport’s David Ornstein. He says that senior members at the Emirates, from the board to Arsene Wenger, would like to sell Sanchez if it is possible, admitting that they want to recoup the last scraps of value before the Chilean is afforded the opportunity to walk away for nothing in just six months time.

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It is fair enough. This is a player that, with three or four years remaining on their contracts, would fetch a rather handsome fee — certainly, Philippe Coutinho’s £142 million price is one that Arsenal would be eyeing up as a possible gauge. But he doesn’t. He has just months left and, the club, knowing that they face the prospect of receiving nothing, are happy to take whatever they can get.

The key, though, is the caveat that Ornstein’s report raises: Arsenal will not sell Sanchez unless they can find and secure a player that deem a suitable replacement. And that is absolutely vital. The primary concern with Sanchez’s departure is the dent that it would leave in the chances of qualification for next season’s Champions League if he were to leave without another player coming the other way. But if a replacement can be found, then that dent would be limited somewhat.

The only reason, for example, why Sanchez did not depart in the summer was because Arsenal felt they did not have the time to push through a £90 million deal for Thomas Lemar to replace him. Had they been able to secure Lemar, I, and most others, believe that they would have sanctioned Sanchez’s exit, even if his destination was City and Pep Guardiola. I believe the same thinking is in action here.

If a player that is deemed suitable to replace Sanchez can be found, then it is fair to assume that the sale will be sactioned. Now, who that replacement should be is a very different question. It seems as though Malcom is their first choice right now. Julian Draxler, Riyad Mahrez and Nabil Fekir have all relentlessly been linked, and the Guardian are reporting that Manchester United are offering Henrikh Mkhitaryan as a makeweight.

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It remains to be seen whether the Gunners  are able to sign a Sanchez replacement, thereby allowing him to leave. Either way, the fact that they have insisted on such a caveat to any departure is key. Their faint hopes of Champions League football depend on it.