Arsenal could change from within to replace Alexis rather than buy

Arsenal could change from within to replace Alexis rather than buy

Arsenal fans will have had their heart sink yesterday following the widely reported news that Alexis Sanchez is in Paris to negotiate a move to Paris Saint-Germain. Although merely speculation currently, many sources of the rumours are renowned to be reliable and it dramatically changes the course of the Gunners transfer window.

Everything has gone swimmingly for Arsenal so far following the early captures of Sead Kolasinac and Alexandre Lacazette from Schalke and Lyon respectively but the potential loss of Alexis Sanchez has been bubbling away in the background, with the Gunners facing the possibility of having their successful window so far torn into shreds.


Arsenal are determined to keep Alexis but the fact he has just 12 months remaining on his contract puts them in a poor negotiating position and Arsene Wenger’s side would surely prefer to sell abroad rather than run the risk of the two-time Copa America winner leaving on a free transfer next summer to join a Premier League rival.

Speculation suggests Arsenal will go big and land a replacement should they lose Alexis, with Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez and Monaco’s Thomas Lemar reportedly on the Gunners’ short-list, but Wenger may not necessarily move in the market to find a replacement.

Arsenal have used Alexandre Lacazette in a role behind Olivier Giroud during pre-season, a tactic we may see deployed next year with the new French signing alongside Mesut Ozil, and the Gunners also have other alternatives to fill this role.

Aaron Ramsey could be utilised in a more attacking area, handing more opportunities to the likes of Mohamed Elneny, and it could also give Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain the central opportunities he craves- which may be key in negotiations to keep the England international at the Emirates Stadium.

Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi are also candidates to fill the role alongside Mesut Ozil, which would see Lacazette lead the line, and the Gunners may elect to use the money from an Alexis sale elsewhere- potentially landing a new centre-back or finally moving for the long-term replacement for the ageing Santi Cazorla.

It may not be what Arsenal fans want to hear, as they’d love to see one superstar replaced by another, but the reality is it’s unlikely to occur and fans should prepare themselves for that possibility.