Former West Ham and Manchester City winger Trevor Sinclair believes letting Raheem Sterling go to Arsenal on deadline day would have been a mistake.
When City came calling for Alexis Sanchez towards the end of the window, Arsenal responded by asking for Sterling in return. Although Pep Guardiola claims that he immediately said no, the rumours were in the media for a day or so, during which time Sinclair heard the story.
He told the Daily Mail via Football.London: “When I read the story, I said: ‘No way!’ I thought it was the wrong move from City when you look at his age and his ability.
“When I spoke to a few people I know at the club they said it was Arsenal doing all the running. It seems they asked for him and City were adamant he was not going and quite right too.”
It’s been reported that the 22-year-old would be interested in a move to London, but it seems that negotiations never got as far as that anyway. It bodes well for the future if he would be interested in a move to North London, especially given Alexis looks destined to depart.
From City’s point of view, it probably would have been a mistake to be so short-sighted. Alexis has only one year left at Arsenal, so it’s surely not worth parting with a talented 22 year old forward who can provide many more years of service.
Arsenal were never going to sell Alexis without a replacement. Getting Sterling as part of the deal, or signing Thomas Lemar from Monaco, was the only way to ensure Wenger got that.