What’s the story?
Arsenal legend Jens Lehmann has urged the Gunners not to be afraid of losing their star player Alexis Sanchez in the summer. The German went on to suggest that no player is irreplaceable at the Emirates.
Sanchez has less than 18 months left on his contract and has not committed his future to the club. This has led to speculations suggesting that the star forward could leave the Gunners after the end of the season.
“They haven’t won anything with him so I don’t think they will be in big trouble [if he leaves],” Lehmann told Talksport.
“He gives the impression that he always gives everything on the pitch and he is always capable of scoring but at the end of the day it is a decision that has been made before with big players like Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. They have left and it didn’t mean that the club went from the top to bottom. Every player is replaceable."
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The Gunners are reportedly willing to offer Sanchez wages of £180,000-a-week, however, the Chilean is reportedly holding out for at least £200,000.
Arsenal’s recent struggles have seen him being linked with a move away from the club. In addition to this, over 5000 Chilean fans have signed up for a march in order to urge Sanchez to leave his current employers. They are of the belief that Sanchez is single-handedly carrying the team without any help from his teammates.
Since winning the league in 2004, Arsenal have added just two FA Cups and two Community Shields to their trophy cabinet in what has been an extremely dry spell for the club.
The heart of the matter
Lehmann joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in 2003 and was a part of the Gunners’ Invincibles season. During his time with the Premier League club, he saw the likes of Ashley Cole, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Alexander Hleb, and Lasanna Diarra leave.
Also read: 5 left-wingers Arsenal could sign to replace disgruntled Alexis Sanchez
Even after the former German international left Arsenal in 2008, Arsene Wenger has seen other high-profile players like Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri, Robin van Persie and Bacary Sagna leave the club. Sanchez is poised to become the latest addition to that list and Mesut Ozil could join him as well.
What’s next?
Sanchez’s future will be decided in the summer, along with that of Ozil, who will also have one year remaining on his contract after this campaign. While the loss of Ozil might not hurt Arsenal to a great extent, Sanchez’s exit would affect them severely as he has been their best player for the last couple of seasons.
With Wenger, too, yet to sign a new deal, a mass exodus is expected at the Emirates.
Sportskeeda’s Take
While what Lehmann stated about players being replaceable is true, Arsenal should still try to retain the Chilean. Sanchez is possibly their best ever player after Thierry Henry left the club, and to lose him at such a crucial stage would be devastating for their title hopes next season.
