Paul Merson has opined that Arsenal should attempt to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan to replace Alexis Sanchez, who has been linked with Manchester United
Paul Merson, in a feature with Sky Sports, has said that Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a player who should be targetted by Arsenal, with the futures of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil up in the air. The Armenian, too, faces an uncertain future at Manchester United, having fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho.
Speculation around Sanchez’s future has spiralled out of control in recent weeks, with the player’s exclusion from Arsenal’s matchday squad against Bournemouth last weekend further adding fuel to fire. Arsene Wenger, too, admitted that the Chilean is “half in half out” right now.
The latest rumours suggest that Manchester United are the favourites to sign Sanchez in the current window, with Manchester City pulling the plug on a move despite widespread reports of the player agreeing personal terms with the Citizens.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan could reportedly be included in a deal between Arsenal and Manchester United for Alexis Sanchez ? pic.twitter.com/0ds9qjYoig
— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 11, 2018
The Red Devils are reportedly ready to not just pay a higher transfer fee to Arsenal, but also offer higher wages to Sanchez than cross-town rivals. There have also been suggestions that Manchester United are prepared to offer Henrikh Mkhitaryan as part of the deal to sign the player.
Mkhitaryan has seen his career come to stuttering halt at Manchester United this season, having fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho after a string of poor performances. The player has managed to start just one Premier League game since the end of October and rumours have been rife about an impending exit.
Paul Merson has now opined that with Mkhitaryan’s Manchester United future extremely uncertain, the time is right for Arsenal to make a move for him. He also added that Arsenal would have one of the best players in the Premier League if Arsene Wenger can help the Armenian rediscover his best form.
“I think selling Sanchez to United and getting Mkhitaryan in return would work. I honestly believe Mkhitaryan is one of the best players in the Premier League, his confidence is just shot at United. If Arsenal could get him playing like he was at Borussia Dortmund they would have one of the best players in the league. That would represent a good deal.”
A move for Mkhitaryan could make sense for Arsenal, with the Armenian a ready made replacement who is also adept at playing in the possession based system that Arsene Wenger employs. Meanwhile, Sanchez appears set to leave Arsenal, and it will be interesting to see if Mkhitaryan replaces him at the Emirates.
