Arsenal round-up: Wenger contract update; Paul Merson expects Alexis Sanchez to join Chelsea; Marcelo Allende targeted

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The latest update on Arsene Wenger’s contract comes from the Mirror, who state that the Frenchman is locked in a power struggle over his new deal. It is expected that he will stay at the club and sign a new two-year contract, but there are concerns behind the scenes that he may not be willing to make the changes that are necessary. There is an expectation that he will need to oversee the biggest revolution of his tenure at the club, with the board wanting him to refresh his coaching staff and agree to the appointment of a director of football. However, the boss is stubborn and may be reluctant to allow such changes to be made.

It is clear to everybody that there need to be changes made at the Emirates Stadium. This season hasn’t been good enough and they are scrambling to finish in the top four. The best option would be to change the manager, but that looks unlikely to happen as the Frenchman is desperate to remain in his post. If he doesn’t leave, he must allow the club to make changes elsewhere, even if that means some of his coaches are replaced. The next few weeks will be fascinating as something has to change, otherwise, they will be set for further stagnation.

Paul Merson is one of the main pundits on Sky Sports and he often discusses the goings on at his former club, but his latest comments will worry Arsenal supporters. He is certain that Alexis Sanchez will leave Arsenal in the summer to join London rivals, Chelsea. The move has been talked about in several places recently and Merson has told Newsweek that he will move to Stamford Bridge as the Arsenal board don’t care about selling their best players to rival clubs.

“I don’t see him signing and why people say he’ll never go to Chelsea, Arsenal don’t work like that. They’re not going to let him see his contract out: They want £50 million quid. They sold [Robin] Van Persie to Man United [in 2012] and they went on and won the league. They don’t care about that.”

It would be expected that Arsenal would be doing everything in their power to prevent their best player from joining a rival club, but they have shown in the past that it is an option for them. Sanchez carries a lot of value at the moment and it would be a blow to lose him for nothing. It is difficult to disagree with Merson that the move is a real possibility. It would make business sense and that is all that matters to football clubs these days.

Finally, the Mail carries an interesting transfer line regarding Arsenal as they report the club are interested in Marcelo Allende. Many won’t have heard of the teenager, but he is a player that has been described as the next Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean starlet has already had three trials with Arsenal and trained with the first team during his time with the club. The Gunners are known for their preference to sign young players that they can develop and Allende could be the next one to come into the club.

He has returned to Chile as he awaits a decision from the Gunners. The club will need to wait until he is 18 to offer him a contract and it will be interesting to see who is making the decision as Wenger’s future remains uncertain. Given that he has been described as a similar player to Sanchez, it would be an exciting move, but it isn’t what Arsenal need right now considering everything else going on at the club.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Stuart MacFarlane