Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, told talkSPORT on Tuesday that Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez’s transfer to The Gunners is “almost done.” The Chilean forward will be joining Arsenal for a reported €35million with a four-year contract. Sanchez was allegedly part of a “cash plus player” deal with Liverpool to bring Luis Suarez to Barcelona but since the deal fell through, Arsenal was able to sign Sanchez who is reportedly eager to leave Barcelona due to Suarez’s imminent move to the Camp Nou.
Sanchez joined Barcelona in 2011 for €26 million and earned a total of 88 caps and scored 39 goals while with the Catalan club. After playing for a number of clubs since signing with Cobreloa in 2005 including River Plate and Udinese, Sanchez has scored a career total of 80 goals and was named Serie A’s player of the month in February of 2011. He moved to Barcelona in the summer of 2011. His first goal for the Catalan club came during a 5-0 match against Villarreal CF. He had an injury plagued first season with Barca, but eventually became a regular in the side.
While at Barcelona, Sanchez helped the team win Copa del Ray, Supercopa de Espana, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in the 2011-2012 season. He was also part of the team that won the La Liga title in the 2012-2013 season.
Sanchez made his first appearance for the Chilean National team in 2007 and scored three times during their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where he appeared in every match. He also played an instrumental part in La Roja’s successful 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Sanchez scored the equalizer against host national Brazil that helped his team advance to penalty kicks. Chile was eliminated in the shootout.
Arsenal lead the Premier League for much of the 2013-2014 season spending more time at the top of the table than any other team. The Gunners however slumped to a disappointing fourth place finish. After the experience Sanchez has gained playing in Serie A, La Liga and the Champions League his ability to score both create and goals will be extremely helpful for Arsenal who finished the season with 79 points, seven behind the champions Manchester City.
