Arsenal round-up: Injury update; Arsene Wenger plays down Alexis Sanchez fears; Chelsea rumours persist

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Arsenal face a home match against West Ham United this week and they have to win to relieve the growing pressure on the side. Their Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread and anything other than three points this week won’t be good enough. Arsene Wenger has addressed the media and has provided an injury update ahead of the match. The Mirror report that Laurent Koscielny will be missing for the hosts, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey could both feature.

It is a huge disappointment to be missing Koscielny as he is regarded as one of the best defenders in the league and has been extremely important to the Gunners in recent seasons. However, he went off at half-time against Manchester City and the side managed to defend well without him. They will be hoping that Shkodran Mustafi steps up again. In terms of the two midfielders, Oxlade-Chamberlain will have a greater chance of featuring as he has been delivering better performances than Ramsey on a consistent basis. That said, it will be good to have both back in the squad on Wednesday.

In addition to providing an injury update, Arsene Wenger commented on the future of Alexis Sanchez. He is confused by the anxiety among Arsenal supporters regarding the Chilean. Although he has less than 18-months left on his current deal, the boss believes that there is no reason to panic about him leaving just yet. The following quotes are being reported by Sky Sports:

“He has one and a half year contract. I don’t understand that debate. Our job is to perform as long as we are here.”

“I do not understand this kind of anxiety, it is absolutely denying what a professional guy is about.”

It isn’t a strong denial from the manager, as he prefers to discuss professionalism rather than denying that Sanchez is set for a summer move. It is clear that Sanchez doesn’t want to remain at Arsenal for the long term and these comments from Wenger will do little to put an end to the speculation. It is difficult for the Arsenal manager to put supporters at ease as his own situation hasn’t yet been cleared up and until it is, everything will be up in the air at the club.

Finally, the Telegraph report that Sanchez favours a move to across London to join Chelsea in the summer. The Chilean is believed to be keen on a move to Stamford Bridge and they are now the frontrunners for his signature ahead of PSG, Juventus and clubs in China. According to the report, he sees Antonio Conte as the perfect coach to work for. The main problem is that Arsenal won’t want to sell to a Premier League rival. It would create further distrust from the fanbase and given the atmosphere around the club at the moment, that could be disastrous.

This story refuses to go away and there does appear to be some substance to it. Chelsea are a club heading in the right direction and it is no surprise that Sanchez is interested in a move. It would mean that he didn’t need to uproot his family and provide him with a much better chance of winning major honours. Although Arsenal won’t want to sell to a rival club, player power is so important in the modern game and it could be that Sanchez is able to push through a move to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Stuart MacFarlane