#2 To make a statement of intent
More often than not, the question of player power versus club power comes to the fore. A club can decide to shunt out a player who is not cordial or is disruptive to the team (circa Saido Berahino at West Brom) or the player can hardball the club into selling him to the team that he wants to join (a la Luka Modric or Cesc Fabregas).
While Saido Berahino is not of the caliber as the other three players, his was a case when the club decided to make an example out of the player by shunting him to the reserve team for months. In the case of Luka Modric’s transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid, the Croatian had refused to train with the White Hart Lane outfit and the Lilywhites had to adhere to his demands or risked unsettling the squad. The Gunners are no strangers to such situation with former superstar Cesc Fabregas having done the same to force a move to his childhood club Barcelona.
The North London outfit should sell Alexis Sanchez to the highest bidder, not to accept defeat in their fight against the Chilean but to establish order – that the club comes ahead of any individual, even a world class player like Sanchez. It will a big statement of intent by the Gunners that they will not be bullied into breaking their wage structure and pay astronomical fees just to keep a player happy.
