Alexis Sanchez could leave because Arsene Wenger ‘doesn’t like confrontation’, says former Arsenal man Stewart Robson

Former Arsenal midfielder Stewart Robson believes Gunners boss Arsene Wenger might be open to selling Alexis Sanchez because the player is a challenge to his authority.

The Chilean forward’s future is up in the air this summer with the likes of Manchester City interested in signing the man who has taken the Premier League by storm since his arrival in 2014.

Former Barcelona man Sanchez only has a year remaining on his Gunnerscontract and could leave next year for nothing, but Robson believes Wenger could be tempted into letting the star go because of his mentality.

“Arsene Wenger doesn’t like confrontation and anybody that might challenge him, or not agree with one or two of his decisions, he doesn’t like it and he doesn’t want anyone like that at his club,” Robson told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast.

“Sanchez, as we have seen, when players aren’t working quite as hard as he thinks they should do, or haven’t passed him the ball, he will have a go at them.

“Sometimes that’s a great attitude to have. You need three or four players that will get round the team, get after the players when things aren’t going quite so well - as long as they are doing it themselves and Sanchez has certainly done it himself over the last two or three years.”

This summer transfer window could see a great amount of upheaval in the Arsenal playing squad with number of players rumoured to be on their way out.

Two of the players in question - England internationals Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - have been linked with departures but Robson explained he would prefer to keep one over the other.

“There are one or two players there that I think Arsenal could easily lose and not be any worse,” he added.

“I mean Theo Walcott has promised a lot over the years, he scored goals last season, but he’s never been, in my view, a top class player.

“He’s got lots of pace but he’s never progressed how he should have done.

“Oxlade-Chamberlain is an outstanding player. He didn’t play very well for England against France but he’s an outstanding player.

“He’s never been given the chance to fulfil a certain role - he’s been a wing-back, he’s played in midfield, he’s played just off the front, played on the right wing and the left wing.

“He’s a player that needs to be put in a position and told ‘this is your position show us what you have got’ because I think he’s a talented player.

“I would keep Oxlade-Chamberlain if he possibly could.”