To call Arsenal's summer transfer window a farce would be insulting to farces, with the Gunners failing to follow up the captures of Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac with any more significant additions to their squad, while pissing off their star player who will now spend one more season at a club he has no desire to play for.
Alexis Sanchez's collapsed move to Manchester City means the Chilean will likely leave North London for free, next summer, instead of generating £60 million for the club like his move to the Etihad Stadium would have done, on Thursday.
Sanchez has refused to put pen to paper on a new contract at the Emirates Stadium, with the 28-year-old not wishing to spend one of his prime years without Champions League football.
Advert
Sanchez has been a huge success at Arsenal over the past four years, but his time at the club looks to be coming to an unhappy end. Images: PA
Advert
And, while City did have a bid of £60 million accepted for the former Barcelona and Udinese forward, the Gunners' failure to push a deal for Monaco winger Thomas Lemar over the line meant they had to call Sanchez's exit off in the dying hours of transfer deadline day.
In news that will make Arsenal fans feel even angrier about their club's shambolic deadline day, Arsene Wenger has now revealed that it was Lemar's refusal to move to North London that caused the collapse of the deal.
Speaking to BeIn Sports, Wenger said, via the Mirror, "The player has chosen to stay in Monaco.
"You do not want to talk too much about. You have to respect what happens on the negotiation side.
Advert
"I know we live in the era of transprency but at some stage, to respect everybody you have to not talk too much about that.
"Look I cannot tell you everything that happened because after that when you decide to let a player of that calibre go, you need to replace him because nobody would understand that you let the player go and when you cannot do it.
"You keep the player and make a financial sacrifice because what you want, at the end of the day, is to have a team who has a good potential and top quality.
Advert
"That means two things: Alexis Sanchez will go, like Mesut Ozil, in the final year of his contract or you think during the season you will find a way to extend the contract or at the end of the season the players go for free."
Thomas Lemar had no intention of leaving the French champions for the Gunners. Image: PA
Arsenal did have an audacious bid of £90 million accepted for Lemar, which makes the young Frenchman's rejection of the Gunners even more painful for the club's fans. Arsenal had also been linked with deadline day moves for defenders Jonny Evans and Virgil van Dijk, although they too also failed to materialise, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being sold to Liverpool in a £40 million deal.
Advert
It is now expected that Sanchez, alongside Mesut Ozil, will both leave the Emirates Stadium next summer with the FA Cup holders not receiving a penny for either of them, despite the fact the pair cost a combined £74 million.
(H/T The Mirror)
Topics: Football, Thomas Lemar, Alexis Sanchez, Monaco, Arsenal