Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez will play hard wherever he is - Martin Keown

Alexis Sanchez is not the sort of player who would
"down tools'' as Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
makes a decision on whether to let him leave,
according to former Gunners defender Martin
Keown.
Arsenal have already moved to strengthen their
squad with the addition of France forward
Alexandre Lacazette in a club-record deal from
Lyon following the free transfer of left-back Sead
Kolasinac from Schalke.
Monaco's Thomas Lemar is said to now top
Wenger's wanted list, but departures are also
expected before any more new arrivals, with Olivier
Giroud a reported target for both Everton and West
Ham.
The futures of key men Sanchez and Mesut Ozil,
though, also remain uncertain.
Both players will be out of contract in a year's
time and Chile forward Sanchez has been strongly
linked with a move to Manchester City, who are
said to be ready to offer wages of some £400,000
per week.
Keown was part of Wenger's squad which won the
Double in both 1997-98 and 2001-02 and the
former England centre-back, 50, sees no reason
why his old boss would want to cash in on the
services of Sanchez, signed from Barcelona in a
£30 million transfer during the summer of 2014.
"Sanchez will be the one now which everyone
talks about -- and let's see how Arsene Wenger
handles that. He (Wenger) has his contract
[extension], and I don't think Wenger will be in any
rush, he will want to keep the player,'' Keown said.
"I think he [Sanchez] is going to play, wherever he
is, I don't think he is the sort of lad who will down
tools.
"Wenger has two years to go now on his contract
at Arsenal, and he will want that time spent with
the best possible players - Sanchez is one of
Europe's best players.
"Arsene Wenger is a little bit different to a lot of
the managers I played under, and he does have a
special bond with his players. [Robin] van Persie
had a heart-to-heart [talk] with Wenger, and he let
him go.
"I feel this time around, he will not be letting him
[Sanchez] or any of his other players go that he
does not want to let go, and that is all time-linked
to how long he has got left with Arsenal.''
Whatever side Wenger sends out for the start of
next season -- which opens up on a Friday night
with the visit of Leicester following the FA
Community Shield at Wembley -- Keown feels the
players must channel the same spirit which saw
them overpower Premier League champions
Chelsea to lift the FA Cup.
"What I kept seeing in that match was street
fighters on the day -- for the first time in a number
of years it looked like Arsenal were competing and
battling in every area of the pitch right from the
beginning,'' Keown added.
"Chelsea were second best on the day - -and that
was a Chelsea team which had won 30 matches
over the Premier League season.
"Arsenal still have winners in the group, but they
are not consistent enough and have now become
a cup team.
"Arsene Wenger has to find that consistency, so
whatever motivation he gave to the team for the FA
Cup final, that has got to be his preparation for
every single league game at the start of next
season.''

SOURCE: PA Sport