Arsenal are sweating on the fitness of forward Alexis Sanchez after he limped out of Chile’s training session with a calf problem. Chile’s medical staff had described the injury as a ‘low grade muscle injury’, which is a slightly better diagnosis than the initial rumours circulating that he had torn his completely. Sanchez will sit out the World Cup qualifier with Colombia on Thursday, but will remain with the group in the hope he is fit for next week’s game against Uruguay. These two qualifiers are absolutely crucial games for Chile who have had a difficult campaign to this point, and will do everything they can to get Sanchez on the pitch.
At this stage, with a tear carrying the risk of two to three months on the sidelines, Arsenal would probably settle for a few weeks out despite the fact a trip to Manchester United being around the corner. Sanchez’s deployment as a centre forward has given Arsenal’s attack a new dimension this season, and with Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez out any extended absence would be real blow. The Gunners lost Sanchez for three months to a hamstring injury last season and have to hope a layoff such as this was avoided.
Elsewhere, Hector Bellerin is on the verge of signing a new six-year £100,000 per week contract. The 21-year-old’s current deal expires in 2018, and has been linked with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and a return to Barcelona. Arsenal are locked in contract negotiations with Mesut Ozil and Sanchez, and sometimes these deals can gather their own momentum. Bellerin established himself as Arsenal’s first-choice right back midway through the 2014-15 season when Mathieu Debuchy was out with a dislocated shoulder and hasn’t looked back since. The former Barcelona man has exceptional pace but has also developed nicely as a defender who has become one of the first names of Arsene Wenger’s team sheet.
Finally, Jack Wilshere has admitted he is unsure about his future at the Emirates despite proclaiming his love for the club. Many people will acclaim Wilshere for having the bravery to move to smaller club to play more minutes. However, by his own admission he made a decision about his Arsenal career in order to get back in the England squad; something that wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by Wenger and Arsenal supporters. Wilshere has started to get 90 minutes of Premier League football under his belt, but still has plenty to prove if he wants to win back a starting role at Arsenal. The England international said:
“It’s difficult for me to say because I love Arsenal and I’ve had great times there, and they’ve been great for me, and I can still see myself playing there.
“But who knows what the future holds? I’ve got a year left when I go back there.
“At the moment I’m just trying to have a season where it puts me in a good position at the end of the year, I’m improved as a player and Arsenal want me back, and we’ll see where we go from there.”
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