News

'Alexis will stay… it's as simple as that'

Alexis was all smiles during open training at Members’ Day on Thursday - but his future at the club remains a hot topic among the media.



Arsene Wenger insists the Chile international will stay this summer, while he also provided the latest updates on whether Lucas will stay.

This is what he had to say:

on Alexis' frame of mind…

The frame of mind of a football player is quite easy. Once you go out and play, you focus on the game and you enjoy it. This is a thing that passes quickly, so enjoy every single moment - and he loves so much the game and what he does.

 

on whether he has spoken to him…

Of course, I speak to my players.

 

on what he can tell us about those conversations…

Nothing!

on whether he has asked to leave…

I just answered you. I will not give anything away on that but the only thing I can tell you is that he is focused, and my decision is clear: he will stay and he will respect that. It is as simple as that.

 

on whether he has indicated if he will sign a new deal…

That is again something that I do not want to come back on. Every negotiation has to be a little bit secret. The transparency of society is very pushy but we have to resist a little bit, as much as we can. We know as well we have a duty to inform people, but to talk about some things is not information anymore - it is suicide.

 

on being confident Alexis will here for this season…

I think he will be here this season, and if we can do it for more seasons we will do it as well. 

on if it is better for Chelsea if Alexis doesn’t play on Sunday…

Maybe, but you know we want as well not to take as big a gamble on the player who has just come back and for us it is important to build his fitness and to put him in a reasonable condition before we expose him to tough tests.

on if Neymar is worth 220m euros, how much is Alexis worth…

You don’t have to calculate like that, today a player is worth what the club can afford to spend and there is no anymore. I would say that the price of a player depends on the identity of the buyer and you cannot put it on the context of the market. It is the financial potential of the buyer that decides the price of the player today.

on other players who are in the last years of their contracts…

Nothing to announce. We always make progress but I have nothing concrete to tell you on that.

 

on whether he sees Lucas' future elsewhere…

Yes, because we have a congestion of strikers. I don’t like to lose him because, for me, he’s a top-quality striker but we have many strikers. At some stage, too much competition is not competition anymore. You cannot give a chance to everybody, so if he finds a satisfying solution, at least for a short time, he will do it. 

 

on whether it will be a permanent move or a loan…

I don’t know. I don’t know.

See Full List

Fixtures & Results

Premier League
Ticket Info