Arsene Wenger has 'no doubt' over Alexis Sanchez's mentality after failed Arsenal exit

Arsene Wenger insists he has no concerns regarding Alexis Sanchez's mentality after he failed to secure a move away from Arsenal before the transfer deadline and subsequently experienced a hugely disappointing international break with Chile.

Sanchez has less than 10 months remaining on his current contract at the Emirates Stadium and attracted interest from a host of suitors during the summer window including Juventus, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

Manchester City emerged as his mostly likely option, however, with manager Pep Guardiola eager to reunite with a player who he previously coached at Barcelona.

Months of speculation and rumours finally came to a head on deadline day, when Arsenal appeared open to a £60m ($78.5m) sale only to eventually pull the plug at the 11th hour after they failed to complete a club-record £92m swoop for AS Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar.

Sanchez, who made his first appearance of the season for the Gunners during a listless 4-0 loss at Liverpool after his return from a post-Confederations Cup break was delayed by illness and an abdominal strain, was subsequently unable to prevent Chile's 2018 World Cup qualification hopes from taking a huge hit with consecutive defeats to Paraguay and Bolivia.

The 28-year-old subsequently shared his frustration on social media, declaring via Instagram that he was tired of being criticised, wanting to be defeated and "saying to yourself 'once more I'll get up' after crying after a defeat". However, he subsequently posted that he was now focused upon his return "home" to Arsenal and Wenger evidently harbours no fears over his current state of mind.

"Yes, of course [his latest post was a good sign]. I have no doubt about Alexis' mind or mentality," he told reporters at a press conference held before Saturday's (9 September) Premier League visit of Bournemouth to north London. "He needs to come back to full fitness, which he wasn't at Liverpool. It was his first game. He had a negative experience with Chile, but he's strong mentally and hopefully he will soon be back to his best."

Asked how close Sanchez, who Wenger believes will cost Arsenal up to £70m to replace next summer, came to leaving the club last week, the manager added: "The transfer market is over. For us there was a lot going on on that front. It's very difficult for me to speak about that because the most important thing is to focus on the next game."