After a long and dogged summer pursuit Arsenal finally seem on the cusp on landing key transfer target Thomas Lemar in a deal worth around £50 million. Monaco were reluctant to sell but they have caved in to Europe’s elite several times this summer and the Gunners are set to wrest away the exciting wide man. That would take their summer spending north of £100 million following the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette, and would provide them with plenty of attacking options for the season ahead. But does that mean Alexis Sanchez will be sold?

The Chilean superstar was a revelation last season, keeping the Gunners competitive while those around him crumbled, and it is easy to see why some of the world’s richest clubs are keen to sign him. But Wenger has pledged all summer to keep hold of him. Of course, we have been here before: he promised not to sell Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Robin van Persie and Emanuel Adebayor, but ended up flogging the lot. Back then Arsenal had to be a selling club as they were crippled by debts incurred while building a new stadium that would secure their future status as a big club. That is no longer the case. Sanchez, like the aforementioned group, is in the final year of his contract and can leave on a free next summer, so the case to cash in on him now is compelling. But if Arsenal keep Sanchez for another year, he could fire them back into the Champions League, and the windfall from that would cover the lost transfer fee this summer. Keeping him would also be a symbolic gesture to Arsenal fans, showing that we are no longer a selling club and will not be cowed by rich rivals. Mesut Ozil too is expected to stay, although Europe’s elite are not exactly queuing up to sign the graceful but inconsistent German playmaker.

But if Sanchez stays too, they will not all fit into the starting line-up. Wenger has confirmed that he will persist with the formation that sparked their revival towards the end of last season: three at the back, wing-backs, two central midfielders and three attackers. The old formation – 4-2-3-1 – allowed for four attacking players, a striker, two wide attackers and a number 10. But the new formation sacrifices an attacker in favour of greater defensive solidity, with the wing-backs expected to use their stamina to help make up the numbers going forwards as well as in defence.

With Lacazette, Ozil, Sanchez and Lemar vying for three starting berths, one will have to miss out. Four into three does not go. Does that mean Lemar’s arrival will herald the departure of Sanchez? Particularly when Arsenal also have Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and potentially Lucas Perez fighting for those three places? Will Arsenal fans have to bid farewell to their one genuine world-class talent? Hopefully not.

First, it is a long season and rotation will be important. It would be rare to see all four players fit and raring to go week in, week out. Some are also versatile. Ozil could certainly use his intelligence to drop back and play a deeper central midfield role alongside a defensive midfielder, as could Lemar. Wenger could also switch back to the old formation. Imagine how devastating Arsenal could be with Ozil supplying quarterback-style through balls for the pacy Lacazette, Sanchez and Lemar to latch onto. The amount of havoc that would create among opposition defences and the amount of goals it would yield could well justify sacrificing a defender and conceding a few more. Real Madrid won the Champions League last season by outscoring teams in high-scoring encounters, not by keeping it tight and scraping narrow victories. Arsenal are a long way off their level, but keeping hold of Sanchez and signing Lemar and allowing them to dovetail would be a step in the right direction.

Things are looking more positive for Arsenal fans than they have done in a while. Without being distracted by Champions League football, they can certainly hope for a higher league finish next season and it could be worth backing them to break back into the top four. BetOnline is a bookmaker with strong odds and bonuses, as this analysis shows, so a sportsbook like that would be a good choice. You can get even money on Arsenal finishing in the top four next season, and it looks a great opportunity to double your money as Arsenal should be able to call upon some serious attacking riches.