Arsène Wenger has indicated he fully expects Alexis Sánchez to stay at Arsenal in January, in the face of any move from Manchester City or another club.
The focus is back on Sánchez as he prepares for Sunday’s Premier League match at City – the club he wanted to join in the summer. The forward looked set to get his wish on deadline day after City made a £60m offer, which Arsenal indicated was acceptable for a player with one season to run on his contract.
Arsenal were never going to sell Sánchez without signing a replacement and, when their bid for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar fell apart, they told the Chilean he was going nowhere.
City’s interest in Sánchez has not died and there have been reports they may try again during the winter transfer window, even if they do not appear to need him, such has been their attacking prowess in the first few months of the season.
Raheem Sterling, who was mooted as a makeweight in City’s summer push for Sánchez, is the club’s top scorer with 10 goals in all competitions, while Sergio Agüero has nine and Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sané eight apiece. Sánchez has only two goals for Arsenal and Wenger admitted this week it was inevitable the player was worried about his form.
“You say everybody thinks City will come in for Alexis [in January] – I am part of everybody and I don’t think he will go,” Wenger said. “Do City need him? They have to decide that. But we need him here.”
There is no chance Sánchez will choose to extend his contract. “Might he re-sign? Before Sunday, certainly not,” Wenger said by way of dodging the issue.
It has been a tumultuous period for Sánchez, which has also taken in Chile’s failure to qualify for the World Cup. Wenger continues to believe in the 28-year-old’s fighting spirit and he knows the player will turn a corner at some point. He says Sánchez has been “very close in the last two or three games”.
Wenger added: “I expect him to be motivated against City but that is always the case. One thing you cannot fault in Alexis Sánchez is his motivation. When he plays for Chile, he plays with passion that is in South America. It’s the same for [his previous club] Barcelona and Arsenal. He is happy when he is on the pitch and that is all he wants.
“Was he close to joining City? No. But at the end of the day, close or not does not matter. It does not have any influence. What is important is that, when you are somewhere and you have the opportunity to give your best, that is what you must do.”