We need Sanchez here, insists Wenger in face of City speculation
Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez. Photo: PA
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is sure that Alexis Sanchez will not join Manchester City in January and will be unaffected by their attempt to buy him when the teams meet tomorrow. City offered £60 million for the Chile attacker in August.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's performance against Liverpool was questioned earlier in the season amid the interest from Anfield but Wenger believes Sanchez is now approaching his best following a mixed start to the campaign.
"One thing you cannot fault in Alexis is his motivation," he said.
Asked if he expected City to make a fresh bid in January, Wenger said: "You say everybody thinks City will come in for him - I am part of everybody and I don't think he will go. We need him here."
The Frenchman also suggested that his Arsenal team would attack City after claiming that it could be far more dangerous to adopt a defensive game-plan.
City have scored 35 goals this season in only 10 Premier League games - 16 more than Arsenal.
"We will try to play our game - we will not hide, put it that way," Wenger said. "You want to defend well but you cannot only be focused on defending. We want to play and have the ball and create dangerous situations. Sometimes the best way to defend is to attack."
Asked if that would be too much of a risk given City's form, Wenger said:"You have to accept the risk if you want to play football. You accept the gamble.
"It's part of the game. You have to rate the risk. Is it a bigger risk only to defend if a team is very strong when they attack?"
© Daily Telegraph, London
