Former Gunner and founder of the Arsene Wenger fan club, Stewart Robson, reckons that, surprise surprise, Arsenal made a big mistake by not selling Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil over the summer.
Robson, who believe it or not actually used to play for Arsenal from 1981-1987, believes that neither Ozil or Alexis will want to leave mid-way through the season in January. Therefore, since he reckons both are definitely going, we were stupid not to cash in during the summer.
“The interesting thing is are they going to sell Alexis Sanchez? Are they going to sell Ozil?,” Robson said.
“I think both those players won’t want to go now. I think Arsenal have made a big mistake.
“If they were going to sell them they should have sold them at the end of last season and then bought replacements for them.
“If they try and get rid of them now they’re not going to get that much money for them and I don’t think the players will want to go.
“Players can then get a massive contract elsewhere, there’s talk of Mesut Ozil going to Manchester United and wait until the end of the season to get that big contract and go and join Mourinho again as he did at Real Madrid.
“So I think that’s an area where Arsenal have made a big mistake.
“So I think they will wait until the end of the season.”
Sure, Arsenal did have all summer to replace Alexis and Ozil.
However, Robson seems to have forgotten that despite being linked with Alexis for months, Manchester City only made a serious £60m bid on deadline day, giving the Gunners about five minutes to try and convince Monaco winger, Thomas Lemar, to drop everything and come to north London while he was playing in an international match for France.
What’s more, Ozil was saying that he wanted to stay and his agent was in negotiations over a new deal right up until the new season started. Why would Arsenal replace the German when he’s claiming he wants to stay? Especially as there was very little interest from other teams.
Will both Ozil and Alexis leave for free in the summer? Who knows. Perhaps they’ll even both run off to Manchester in January. However, Robson needs to stop kidding himself if he truly believes that Arsenal actively trying to sell their two best players to their rivals over the summer just in the hope that they make some quick cash wouldn’t be a PR disaster.