Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger reportedly also had plans to drop Mesut Ozil from his starting line-up against Liverpool at the weekend.
Aside from another huge setback in terms of the result at Anfield, the major talking point from the weekend has been the French tactician’s decision to bench Alexis Sanchez.
It has since been noted that the decision was made due to a series of rows and the attitude of the Chilean international since the loss to Bayern Munich last month, but as also reported by The Telegraph, there was another big decision that Wenger had been prepared to make.
Ozil missed the game against the Reds due to illness, but the report claims that the German international was also set to be benched at Anfield if he had been fit enough to feature due to his poor form in recent weeks.
Combined with the fact that he has missed playing time with this illness, he wouldn’t have been in great shape either. Nevertheless, with his contract set to expire next summer as well, it would have been a big call for Wenger to take to leave his two big-name stars on the sidelines.
It remains to be seen whether or not the situation gets resolved, as there will be huge doubts in the minds of Arsenal fans this week over their chances of keeping Sanchez in particular.
The Telegraph notes that interest is building around Europe in the 28-year-old, and this latest episode will only strengthen belief that he will quit Arsenal this summer.
With their aspirations of finishing in the top four coming under more and more threat each week, Wenger needs to resolve any problems within the camp. If his side don’t finish this season strong, he could also be looking at his options away from north London this summer too.