On the Road Jack
“What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – It’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road
Could there be a more fitting quote to this rather dragged out situation between Alexis Sanchez and Arsenal? Although obviously I am sure Jack Kerouac wasn’t thinking about a pouty Chilean football player when he wrote those lines in the much-praised book On the Road. Needless to say, the Alexis Sanchez situation has taken a turn for the worst as he made the much-vaunted excuse of wanting to win the Champions League while speaking in his home town of Tocopilla. Here is the quote for you in full from RadioSportChile:
Alexis Sanchez: “I want to play in the Champions League. The decision isn’t down to me; I need to wait for Arsenal.”
“I’ve made my decision, now I wait for Arsenal’s reply. The idea is to play & win the UCL. I’ve dreamt about it since I was a kid.”
“But for now I am at Arsenal. I finish my contract in one more year.”
Leaving decision to Arsenal but…
There are so many things one could say about this but well to this point so many teams have been ruled out by Sanchez’ wage demands of £400’000, Bayern Munich baulked at such demands and signed James Rodriguez instead. So now we look at the Rich teams and well Manchester City have grown tired of waiting for Alexis Sanchez to make up his mind and are still only offering the same wage as Arsenal of a mere £300’000. So what’s it to be Alexis? Do you want to win the Champions League or do you want, to quote Doctor Evil, “one million dollars”?
The obvious contenders for the Champions League are Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona who it is pretty sure are not signing him again. Alexis’ only hope of being at a Champions League winning team next season is that Real fail in their attempts to sign Eden Hazard and go for him instead. PSG would like him and could afford him but I doubt he would see them as potentiall winners in 2018
Will Arsenal be so good next season it is inevitable they will win the Champions League so he renews his contract? Probably not, is this just a cliché copy and paste statement just to get a transfer away… probably, either way I think this is the start of Alexis Sanchez getting On the road.
Happier times on the training ground
It should be said though that the player is acknowledging that his immediate future will be decided by Arsenal and it was only early in the same day that Wenger informed that he was positive Alexis would stay. Whether he stays for the final year on his existing deal for a year or signs a new one with an understanding that he can leave next summer, what is certain that we will not see and the less commitment on the pitch – Alexis only knows one way to play!
I got into football as a kid watching Italian football in the afternoons and ever since I’ve been hooked on tactics and the continental side of the game. I’ve written about Italian football in the past among other things but now it’s time to write about, the embodiment of how I see the beautiful game, Arsenal. Hopefully writing things and opinions about the game you haven’t seen before, I like a bit of a joke too.
He’s a big baby who has had a negative effect on the dressing room for too long. Kick his sorry arse out of the club. Would rather have a kid who wants to wear the shirt.
You could be right James in your assessment of the teams who may or may not be prepared to give him what he wants. He says he is waiting for Arsenal, its up to them.
I read ambition in his statements but I do not see any mention of job satisfaction or of any particular love of Arsenal. In other words, he is a cold blooded mercenary. No respect for his present club which is undoubtedly responsible for his improvement over his play while at Barcelona. His fixation is simply money.
We have enough of that attitude in our management. We could do without it in our players.
Bye Bye Sanchez.