77Arsene Wenger and SanchezWhen Manchester United last bought a player from Arsenal, then manager Alex Ferguson complimented counterpart Arsene Wenger on the hard bargain he drove in selling striker Robin van Persie, saying the Frenchman “could run a poker school in Govan”. Now Arsenal’s creative dynamo has gone, the arrival of United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan as part of the deal is unlikely to silence the calls for Wenger’s own departure. Last May, when Arsenal won the FA Cup, Wenger signed a new two-year contract and talked confidently of mounting a Premier League challenge this season. If anything, winning that trophy might only serve to highlight their decline since Wenger secured the last of his three league titles back in 2004. In a very real sense, the sale of Sanchez may mark the end of an era.

Source: Standard Digital January 22, 2018 19:07 UTC