Arsenal: If you trust Alexis Sanchez to return, you’re nuts

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Alexis Sanchez of Manchester United reacts during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on March 5, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Alexis Sanchez of Manchester United reacts during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on March 5, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Arsenal had a good thing with Alexis Sanchez, but it went sour really quickly. You’d have to be nuts to think that he is trustworthy for a return.

When Arsenal signed Alexis Sanchez, I thought that he was the embodiment of everything the team needed. He was gritty, determined, ambitious and a self-starter, and to add to that, he had a great attitude about all of it.

That went bad really quickly. Between the on-pitch spats with team mates, the pouting, the temper-tantrums, and the growing inability to mount much of an offensive against Premier League defenses, Alexis lost his magic and it looked like he was determined to take the team down with him.

So he got his dream move to Manchester United, where he was paid more than any human being should be paid, and thus his overpaid disappearance began.

Alexis has been downright horrible for United. He didn’t do much of anything last year, as he was outdone by both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in every category possible. It was so ugly that I even felt a shred of pity for him, but it quickly went away.

He wanted this.

And this year? Manchester United are five points behind “woeful” Arsenal and Alexis has just one assist to show for the efforts, as United sit pathetically in tenth place.

Thus did the rumor start. The rumor that not even I could have foreseen. The rumor that Alexis Sanchez was tipped to make the most improbably return to the Emirates.

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You have to be high.

Or nuts.

Or clinically insane.

Or some combination of these and then some. How many ways can this rumor be horribly, horribly placed? By the time Alexis left, I was so done with him. I didn’t trust him, I didn’t want him, I couldn’t wait to see him out of the team, even if it was on a free.

Now we want to invite that back?

Have we talked about money? We supposedly can’t sign Aaron Ramsey because he wants too much money, but we’re going to sign Alexis Sanchez, who is making £400,000, more than any other player in the Premier League?

Unless Alexis wants to take a pay-cut down to, like, £175,000, I don’t think this should even be talked about. And even then, it’s probably too much. I don’t want the guy on this team. We are only just starting to improve as a team. Don’t upset it by inviting the toxin back into the blood system.

And oh, by the way, we don’t need him, because he isn’t even a winger.