Alexis Sanchez has said that he wants to play Champions League football while admitting that the decision rests with Arsenal.

Alexis has a year left on his Arsenal contract, and as a result he has been the subject of most of the speculation around the club. Other stars such as Mesut Özil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have also had similar treatment, but quotes from the players themselves and from Arsene Wenger have seemingly put those rumours to bed.

On the other hand, quotes from Alexis Sanchez haven’t helped clarify the situation at all, instead creating even more fierce speculation about what he wants and what comes next. Alexis reportedly told Chilean radio:

“The decision I have made, I have to wait for Arsenal’s response, it depends on them, what they want, my idea is to play the Champions League and win it. But for now I am in the Arsenal, I finish my contract in one more year.”

The main interpretation of these quotes is that Alexis wants to leave for a Champions League club and is waiting for us to let him go.

More optimistic Arsenal fans point to the fact he’s specifically referenced that his contract doesn’t end for another year. He knows he can’t leave without Arsenal’s blessing, so the most likely scenario is still that he stays for another year.

If Arsenal don’t make it into the Champions League for another year, he’ll leave.

If this is the case, from an Arsenal point of view perhaps the best idea would be to offer him a new contract with a release clause allowing him to be sold in the case that Arsenal don’t make the Champions League. This would benefit all parties, Arsenal could get a good fee, Alexis could be sure of Champions League football in 2018/19, and the speculation could be put on hold for a year.

For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.