With apologies to Beyonce, “so don’t you ever for a second get to thinking,” Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil “are irreplaceable.”
That’s kind of the message implied here by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, as he answered a transfer window related query ahead of the big London derby tomorrow night. Both Ozil and Sanchez are out of contract at the end of the season, and if they are not sold this month, could move on a free transfer come summertime.
There seems to be more talk about Alexis moving right now than Ozil, as Manchester City could be launching another bid for the forward this winter window.
“How do we cope with that? First of all we have not lost them yet, and secondly we will respond to that by bringing in players of top quality,” Wenger told his prematch news conference today when the question came up.
“This club has lost many, many big players and has always responded very well. Massive players have left this club and the club will always be in a strong position on that front. But you want to keep your best players, yes.”
Ok, so Wenger didn’t say “I could have another you in a minute, matter of fact, he’ll be here in a minute…”
Wenger also dismissed reports linking his side with a move for Chelsea defender David Luiz, Blues boss Antonio Conte did the same in his prematch news conference.
However, Wenger did say that his club is actively out there shopping this transfer window.
“We are out there, and look of course to do some things, yes,” he said.
“We will do, but when is very difficult to say because it doesn’t depend only on us. We are open in any position for the exceptional player who can give us a plus.”
“Therefore it depends a little bit on the injuries as well. On the other hand I must say as well it depends on [if we] will manage to extend the contracts of the players who are at the end of their contracts in June.
“It will depend on that as well, because we will have to take the consequences of these decisions and respond to it.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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