Arsenal’s title challenges are usually destroyed by a bad November, a series of injuries over Christmas and then a collapse in the Champions League round of 16 against the first good team they come up against.
This year the Gunners have done exceptionally well to avoid all these things, only to find their season threatened by an enormous wave of money set to be poured over Alexis Sanchez by the Chinese Super League.
The Daily Mail today reports that teams from the China are trying to persuade the Chilean striker to head east with offers of £260,000 a week – after tax.
Arsenal are in the process of trying to extend the former Barcelona man’s contract, and they must be terrified that such bids will force their star’s demands out of the reach of their strict wage structure. With Mesut Ozil’s deal also needing renewal, caving to any expensive demands from one of their key players will probably lead to having to pay the other more too.
While these offers are no doubt dangerous to the Arsenal squad’s stability, one would hope that Alexis’ obvious competitive spirit will ensure that he stays in the Premier League for the peak years of his career.