A Chilean march organised to convince Alexis Sanchez to leave Arsenal didn’t quite go according to plan but its ultimate goal may yet be achieved.
Only five of the 14,000 confirmed attendees showed up to the protest last week but the likelihood of Sanchez’s departure is growing stronger by the gameweek.
Despite having 14,000 confirmations on Facebook, only five people turned up to a planned march calling for Alexis Sanchez to quit Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/ldyJte6eIx
— Arsène's Son 🎈 (@hughwizzy) March 2, 2017
Eyebrows were raised on Saturday evening when manager Arsene Wenger left the forward out of the starting XI for the Gunners’ trip to Liverpool.
After conceding two first-half goals, Sanchez was called upon after the break but he cut a frustrated figure throughout and more light has since been shed on Wenger’s decision to drop the Chile international.
“The thinking was that we had to go more direct and I wanted to play two players strong in the air because we decided to go more direct,” Wenger said of his supposedly tactical decision to leave the 28-year-old out.
But a Telegraph report on Sunday revealed that there was something more to the call.
Earlier in the week, Sanchez was reportedly involved in a training ground clash with teammates after he left the pitch in the middle of preparations for the Premier League tie at Anfield.
A number of teammates are said to have confronted Sanchez in the changing rooms, where the former Barcelona player’s attitude was brought into question.
Wenger aroused the ire of a number of pundits for naming Sanchez as a substitute for one of the biggest games of Arsenal’s season but, according to the above report, the manager has the backing of several senior players in how he has opted to deal with the stubborn forward, who has 20 goals to his name across all competitions this season.
Sanchez has yet to renew his contract at the Emirates while several top European clubs, including Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, are thought to be interested in his services.
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