Mick Jones claims the famous tune, "Wasn't about anybody specific" - but if you hear Joe Strummer this summer, he's singing about the three anti-heroes of Arsenal's current tautology. Their names are well-known to even the most casual football observer—Sanchez, Özil, and Wenger. They are the three cards holding the entire tottering construct together, yet each leaving might be seen as a boon or a disaster - depending on who you ask.
It's difficult to know where to start. Perhaps it's best to start with the man most likely to leave, regardless of what decision the other two make—and that's probably mercurial playmaker Mesut Özil. Although he insisted, just three months ago, that his staying was dependent on Wenger's decision - that does not appear to be the case any longer. The German international has been criticised by fans in the past for lacking 'passion'. The player has complained at what he sees as unfair blame for Arsenal's struggles during his time in North London. Coupled with what might be dubbed insane wage demands, Özil and the club will likely part ways this summer rather than draw out a broken relationship. Considering his lack of recent matches, the fans may not miss him that much.
The real cloud hanging over the club is Alexis Sanchez's discontent. Alongside his German teammate, Sanchez has reportedly asked for wages parity with the highest earners in the league. Considering the cash-generating power of Arsenal Football Club, that might not be an insurmountable obstacle—if money were the only problem. Sanchez has apparently noticed what was obvious to the rest of the country, namely Wenger's inability to win the league or progress in European competition. With the news Chelsea have identified the Chilean as their number one target in the summer, and Sanchez's desire to move to a team with a 'winning' mindset, the rumours will not go away.
At the top of the wobbling pyramid, Arsène Wenger stands with a pen in his hand. If he signs a contract extension, Arsenal's bitterest fans may make good on their threats to stay away from the Emirates. On the other hand, his signature might quell some of the disquiet in the dressing room—and encourage an upturn in form once players know where they stand. If Wenger decides to end his tenure in North London, there's a chance his disciples follow him out of the door anyway. Too many Arsenal players have contacts that expire in 2018 and it's hard to see all of them re-signing should their mentor leave. Any managerial change would therefore herald a significant turnover of players, something a notoriously tight-fisted board may resist. The happy compromise might be for Wenger to sign a one-year extension with the intention to quit at its conclusion—a kind of swansong to give the club time to adjust to a Wenger-less future. It won't go down well with the vitriolic fanbase calling for his head, but it would right the ship.
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