Alexis Sanchez must stay

Arsenal have a lot of work to do this summer, and sorting out the future of Alexis Sanchez is one of the most important jobs.

Thus far the Chilean has rebuffed all offers of a new deal, and is heading into the final 12 months of his contract. History tells us that if an agreement can't be found, Arsenal will sell. People point to the sales of Robin van Persie to Manchester United and Samir Nasri to Manchester City as evidence of this.

It is worth pointing out, however, those departures took place five and six years ago respectively, and in both instances the players more or less made their position at the club untenable. The Dutchman with his risible, patronising statement to fans, and Nasri with his behind-the-scenes behaviour which included an attempt to manoeuvre a move to Alex Ferguson's side before he joined their city rivals.

There's no evidence this is a tactic Sanchez is willing to employ, and since then Arsenal's financial situation has changed considerably. In 2011, they were still three years away from new sponsorships and commercial deals, and while the £42.5m capture of Mesut Ozil in 2013 made the £20m received for Van Persie a year earlier a little harder to swallow, there's no doubt they can take a financial hit for sporting benefit.

And let's be realistic, if the £50m from a City side reportedly confident of signing Sanchez is on offer, it would be a hit, especially if he were to walk away on a free transfer next season.

However, while we're in the realms of realism, selling your best player -- and probably the best player in the Premier League last season -- to a rival is a very, very bad idea. You strengthen them, you weaken yourself, and the damage it would do goes way beyond what would happen on the pitch.

Fans, who have not been reticent in expressing their unhappiness in recent times, would see this as something approaching the final straw in their relationship with the club. An owner, manager and chief executive who have been publicly criticised for their decisions and performance simply cannot open themselves up the kind of anger selling Sanchez to City would generate.

The hugely enjoyable FA Cup win went some way to filling in the cracks, but this would open up a fissure like never before. It would create a Grand Canyon between fans and the club, and no amount of spending could fill it in.

Simply put, if, after finishing fifth, you're serious about getting your team back to where it wants to be -- challenging for the title and back into the Champions League -- you don't sell your best player to anyone, least of all a team in the same division..

....soccerner.com