Chilean, who is out of contract in the summer, salvaged three crucial points for the Gunners but the Sky Sports pundit believes there is more to the story
THIERRY HENRY claims there is an Arsenal dressing-room rift.
Boss Arsene Wenger defended contract rebel Alexis Sanchez’s commitment after the Chilean’s double sunk Crystal Palace.
But Gunners record scorer Henry accused some of Sanchez’s team-mates of snubbing his celebrations for his goal that put them 2-1 up.
Henry said: “There is a division in the team. He (Sanchez) is asking them to come and celebrate. ‘Why are they not coming? Don’t you want to celebrate?’
“I don’t know what the situation is there but usually when your team scores you don’t look at who scores.
“If you start to think, ‘Shall I go, shall I not go’ there’s something we don’t know exactly what’s happening.
“What I’m trying to say is you’re not here for Alexis Sanchez, you’re here for Arsenal. Arsenal scored, go and celebrate.”
Sanchez celebrated his first with Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette and Shkodran Mustafi. And TV pictures appeared to show Sanchez gesturing at the players who did not celebrate with him.
Henry, now a Sky pundit, added: “I noticed it. Sanchez made me notice it. It was like he thought he was alone.”
Wenger did not see the incident but saluted Sanchez’s Selhurst Park performance.
The Chilean, who is out of contract at the Emirates in the summer and refusing to sign a new one, is wanted by runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City.
The January transfer window opens in four days.
But Wenger declared: “Always, when people don’t have long contracts they are questioned. The best way to show they are committed is to give that kind of performance.
“I felt he was very good tonight from the first minute, focused right on the game. This kind of Sanchez is a great football player, as we know.
“That’s the kind of performance we want from him.
“First of all nobody knows what will happen with him really. It’s difficult to speculate.
“At the moment, we are focused on short term, that means for the next game getting the players committed and ready to fight.
“It’s not a guarantee of how long you stay somewhere. As long as you are somewhere, you give your best.”
Henry’s fellow Sky pundit Graeme Souness added: “It’s a divided dressing room, some of them are not having Sanchez and his situation.
“I think it’s clear, I think it tells you there’s a dynamic going on in that dressing room that would suggest it’s not well.”
