Paul Merson has predicted that Arsenal will lose Alexis Sanchez and finish outside of the top four again this season.

So much for pre-season optimism, eh?

The season is just days away and despite Arsenal having a pretty good pre-season, Paul Merson has unleashed his special brand of doom and gloom.

Speaking to talkSPORT, the former Arsenal midfielder and football pundit predicted the Gunners will lose Alexis Sanchez by the end of the summer transfer window, and will not be able to get a top-four spot in the Premier League because of it.

“I just can’t see how [Alexis] Sanchez is going to stay; I don’t see anything but sixth for Arsenal, I really don’t,” Merson said. “I sit there and try and work out, try and make a case for them, and I can’t, I can’t make a case.

“I mean, you know [Alexandre] Lacazette better than me, you watch a lot more French football than me, and he is a good player. But, you know, if Sanchez goes… the team’s getting weakened straight away.

“I just worry for Arsenal, I really do. I think if they get in the top four next year, I think that’s a massive feat.”

If Arsenal did lose Alexis Sanchez, they certainly would struggle to get back into the top-four this season. Replacing a player like that at this stage in the transfer window would be extremely difficult.

However, the Chilean is still an Arsenal player, and Arsene Wenger has made his position clear. Unfortunately, no matter how times the Gunners boss says he will not sell Alexis, few seem to be believe him.

Arsenal missed out on the top-four last season by a single point. That Merson apparently can’t make a case for the Londoners making up that point difference just seems like needless negativity to me.