It’s never a good time to hear that your most influential players are being linked with a departure, but it’s come at a particularly bad time for Arsenal.
The Gunners are still in the midst of trying to secure a Champions League spot, which has come after a disappointing failed bid to win the Premier League title.
With so many question marks surrounding the club as their lack of success continues, the last thing that Arsene Wenger would want is growing speculation about the futures of two of the best players in his squad.
From The Sun reporting that Juventus have joined Bayern Munich and Manchester City in the race to sign Alexis Sanchez, to Tuttomercatoweb‘s claim that Jose Mourinho will target Mesut Ozil if he lands the Manchester United job, the rumours should be a real concern.
Although we’re far off a point where the duo are set to actually leave the club, knowing that there is possible interest there with sides that are guaranteed to be competing for silverware next season is a distraction that all concerned could do without.
Aside from their success in the FA Cup in recent years, Arsenal haven’t done enough to progress and push forward to establish themselves as the top side in England, and previously, coupled with financial reasons, they’ve had to sell some top names.
They had the ideal opportunity to turn the tide this season with the usual suspects struggling, but Leicester City showed a level of consistency that they simply couldn’t match.
Such consistent failure will naturally lead to some questioning their futures and whether or not Arsenal offer the best opportunity to win trophies, as playing wonderful football at times can only get you so far.
With Wenger coming under increasing scrutiny from supporters this season, it is a massive summer for the club at various levels.
If the manager stays, he needs to convince his players that the club will take action to make sure they’re sitting top of the pile next May. That would involve players coming into the Emirates, and not seeing integral players such as Ozil and Sanchez heading for the exit doors.