It’s getting increasingly hard to get angry at players for not wanting to play at Arsenal – who would at the moment?
The BBC’s David Ornstein, who tends to be pretty reliable when it come to Arsenal rumours, reported on Tuesday afternoon that there’s been some trouble convincing Henrikh Mkhitaryan to move to north London.
The Manchester United playmaker, who only moved to the Premier League from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, is supposed to be moving to Arsenal as part of a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez. But it seems the 28-year-old is less than thrilled to be moving to Arsene Wenger’s side.
No agreement in place or close for Mkhitaryan to join Arsenal from Man Utd in Sanchez swap. He holds key & still mulling over #AFC / other clubs / staying #MUFC – if agrees to Arsenal, can happen quickly. Doesn’t see eye to eye with Mourinho but not desperate to go at all costs pic.twitter.com/n95zzQzYdg
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) January 16, 2018
While many are annoyed at the revelations, I can’t help but shrug because I don’t blame them at all. Who would want to willingly board a sinking ship? What can Arsenal offer him at the moment?
Sure, we can probably give him more playing time and maybe a tasty contract, but he’s not going to win anything with us; Wenger’s name doesn’t hold the power it once did because he’s seen as a stubborn old fool by most, and the Armenian’s probably not going to play in Europe at all next season.
What’s enticing about that? At least at United he’s got some hope of Champions League football next term.
This is why the likes of Alexis and potentially Mesut Ozil want to leave as well. Or at the very least why it’s taking the German so long to agree a deal.
No one knows where we’ll be from one month to the next and that includes the players. They don’t know who will be manager next season, which players will still be at the club, what chances we have of attracting other top players and competing at the top level. Why would they want to stay?
‘Loyalty’ can only take you so far if your career is potentially at stake.
Reiss Nelson is reportedly the latest player to hold off on signing a new deal. The 18-year-old’s contract runs out in 18 months. PSG and Real Madrid are supposed interested.
The teenager has broken into the first team at Arsenal in a big way this term and will almost definitely get more game time in north London going forward, but when his team looks like it’s heading south, perhaps he sees more of a future at another club.
No one who watched the 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth, or the 1-1 draw at West Brom, or the 4-0 loss at Anfield, or any number of our lacklustre, insipid performances this season would want to be part of that side. I wouldn’t. We’re the joke of the Premier League – if not Europe – at the moment.
On the plus side, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang must be a madman because it genuinely does look as if the forward could be heading our way. Presumably he’s not watched us play this season so hopefully we can shield him from that. Or he’s been told a rebuild is going on. I really, really hope it’s the latter.
Boy, am I a ray of sunshine today or what?!