Arsene Wenger couldn’t get a moment to himself over the summer.
There was seemingly many a knock on the Arsenal manager’s office door during the transfer window as a grand total of four players let Wenger know that they wanted out of the club.
The window will not be looked back on fondly by Arsenal supporters and the annual pressure that mounts on Wenger has come unusually early this season after he failed to bolster his squad to fans’ admittedly high expectations.
BBC reporter David Ornstein, who is one of the most well-connected journalists to Arsenal, has posted a lengthy summary of the Gunners’ dealings in the window and in his assessment, he revealed the four players who’d told their manager that they wanted out of the Emirates.
Quick attempt to answer some Qs on #AFC window. Likes of @SwissRamble @AST_arsenal far better & more forensic on finances + results/AGM soon pic.twitter.com/LSDoAfZ1kp
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) September 4, 2017
It comes as no surprise that Alexis Sanchez was keen on an exit and not a press conference passed in the early weeks of the season without some question or other about the Chilean’s situation but both of Manchester City’s approaches for Sanchez were rebuffed by the North London club, meaning he will likely leave on a free next year.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was luckier than Sanchez because he saw his transfer to Liverpool come to fruition. He reportedly told Wenger of his desire to leave in a heated meeting where the England international rejected a final contract offer of £180,000.
Hector Bellerin announced that he wanted to move on when he returned from the U21 European Championships but, despite the interest from Barcelona, a deal was not struck and he remains in the Premier League.
Defender Shkodran Mustafi also asked to leave and, apparently, Wenger was happy to listen to offers because he was not exactly thrilled with how the German’s debut season for the Gunners went. The failure to find a potential replacement for the centre-half resulted in Mustafi’s request being turned down and him remaining at the Emirates.
There is clear unrest at the football club and even Wenger revealed over the weekend that he almost decided against extending his contract at the club.
“Yes, I hesitated to extend my contract for personal reasons,” the Frenchman told Telefoot. “I’ve been at Arsenal for 20 years, and you ask yourself all the time if you should continue leading the club, and also because we suffered quite a bit during the season.”
