Ivan Gazidis surely must have known an attempt to pacify Arsenal’s divided fan base by pointing to the new hires in the club’s scouting department in recent years would invite the ridicule he duly received following this week’s heated Q&A session at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal supporters have grown increasingly tired of the chief executive and his empty platitudes. The club has stagnated under his watch and will regress unless Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are retained on new contracts, regardless of the impending club-record purchase of Alexandre Lacazette.
The lack of fanfare surrounding the France international’s arrival stems largely from the uncertainty which continues to surround the futures of Arsenal’s two superstars when, although he may ultimately turn out to be at least twice as expensive, fans should be trumpeting Lacazette’s signing, given he boasts many of the qualities Wenger knew his forward line lacked when he targeted Jamie Vardy last summer, before the Leicester striker’s late U-turn.
Lacazette will arrive in north London at the peak of his goalscoring powers with his prime years ahead of him. He offers the pace Olivier Giroud lacks and the positional discipline Sanchez rarely showcased when deployed through the middle last season. He is shorter than Theo Walcott but far more robust, and is the confident, sure-footed finisher that Danny Welbeck is unlikely to ever mature into.
The 26-year-old has broken the 20-goal barrier in each of the last three campaigns in a Lyon set-up which has been a pale imitation of the club which dominated Ligue 1 over a decade ago. His exploits last season meant the notoriously stubborn Didier Deschamps could no longer ignore his international credentials, while a judge as shrewd and demanding as Diego Simeone felt Lacazette boasted enough quality to complement Antoine Griezmann in his Atletico Madrid attack.
Kylian Mbappe, who remains something of a pipe dream, aside, Arsene Wenger appears to have landed his No.1 target without the usual dithering and haggling that accompanies any Arsenal related transfer saga.
Harnessed alongside the talents of Ozil and Sanchez, Lacazette is capable of making a devastating impact and will feast on the service provided by the German assist machine in particular.
Ozil has created 42 Premier League goals since signing for Arsenal from Real Madrid four years ago and that tally is likely to grow significantly next season, should he stay, alongside a striker who relishes playing off the shoulder of the last defender.
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The 28-year-old is yet to sign a new deal but looks set to remain, for another 12 months at least, by default if nothing else. After all, Ozil’s list of suitors is hardly a comprehensive one with Turkey and China appearing to represent his likeliest escape routes, neither of which will seem like attractive propositions at this stage of his career.
While he may not necessarily be deserving of the £300,000-a-week he is said to be demanding, a show of faith from Arsenal is likely to bring the best out of their previous record signing and, in turn, the successor of that mantle.
For all the criticism he receives, Wenger’s side is rarely at its best unless Ozil is purring. Few, however, would argue Sanchez to be anything other than Arsenal’s talisman and selling him to Manchester City would have dire consequences.
Alexis Sanchez on his Arsenal future
When asked if he will be Claudio Bravo’s team-mate at City next season during a press conference with Chile’s national team, Sanchez replied: ‘Good question! Right now I’m focused on the Confederations Cup.
‘When this is finished I will see if I stay or go. I don’t know.’
Asked if his decision is clear in his mind, Sanchez replied: ‘Yes, it’s clear. But I can’t tell you.’
When directly asked by Sky Sports about his chances of staying at Arsenal, the Chilean said: ‘I don’t know, my friend. I don’t know.’
A reunion with Pep Guardiola appears to be a grim inevitability with Arsenal’s stance reportedly having softened in the past week and Sanchez doing nothing to dispel the suggestion he has his heart set on a move north this summer at Friday’s press briefing ahead of the Confederations Cup final.
Wenger remains adamant Arsenal will pass up the £50 million City are prepared to offer and allow one of his A-Listers to walk away but nobody is really buying that, least of all you would imagine Sanchez and his advisors.
The Arsenal manager may feel, given that Bayern Munich cannot afford him, selling last season’s top goalscorer to City represents the lesser of two evils amid Chelsea’s interest. After all, City were one of just five sides to average more than two goals a game last term and were outscored only by Tottenham, who amassed 13 goals in their last two matches of the season, and Antonio Conte’s Premier League champions.
How much additional quality, therefore, can Sanchez offer to a manager who can already call upon the likes of Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling?
Unlike when he sanctioned Robin van Persie’s defection to Manchester United, Wenger would not be turning an average team into potential champions, City already have enough title-winning tools at their disposal, but he would be leaving his own team far weaker.
Allowing Sanchez to depart would see Lacazette suddenly thrust from a member of the supporting cast to the lead member of Arsenal’s attack. It is too much of a burden to place on him and one that both Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski found impossible to shoulder in the wake of Van Persie’s departure.
Riyad Mahrez and Thomas Lemar are the two most likely candidates to replace the Chile international but there is no guarantee the Leicester winger will ever rediscover the consistent excellence that saw him voted the PFA Player of the Year two seasons ago, while the Monaco ace is by no means the finished article.
Playing hardball with Sanchez until he can be convinced to commit at least his short-term future to the club remains Arsenal’s best option, otherwise they are destined to remain locked in the Groundhog Day curse that has been impossible break.
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