Former Arsenal midfielder Aleksandr Hleb believes the Gunners wasted their time by not selling Alexis Sanchez in the summer and put unnecessary pressure on the team.

Sanchez wanted to leave Arsenal last summer and the Gunners even had a fee agreed with Manchester City, but the deal failed to go through as Arsene Wenger failed to secure a replacement.




The Chilean was not his former self in the first half of the season and eventually joined Manchester United in the winter window with Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving to the Emirates as part of a swap deal between the two clubs.

However, Hleb believes Sanchez not leaving the club in the summer had a negative effect on the rest of the squad as the player was clearly keen to pack his bags.
 


He believes the Gunners lost precious time in resolving the winger’s future and are now waiting for new signings such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to bed in while in the middle of the season.  

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“Difficult to explain”, Hleb told Italian outlet Tutto Mercato when asked to explain Arsenal’s struggles this season.

“But when you start the season with some players who want to leave then it’s not the best as the team are under a bit more pressure.

“Sanchez wanted to leave and he was a waste of time.

"Meanwhile we are waiting for Aubameyang to adapt to a new league.”

Arsenal are on a run of four straight defeats in all competitions, their worst run of results in the last 16 years.