Since his breakthrough onto the scene of European football in the 2010/2011 campaign, Alexis Sanchez has made immense strides forward, becoming a household name. After a successful few seasons at Udinese in Serie A, Alexis earned himself a move to Barcelona, in the most lucrative deal in history involving a Chilean player. Despite the towering shadows of a certain Lionel Messi, he still put in numerous match winning performances during his brief stint with the Catalan giants, proving himself at the highest level. Alexis has somewhat been pushed out of Barça due to the arrival of Neymar and the more recent pursuance of Luis Suarez. His short spell was, however, anything but unsuccessful – stacking up a tally of 39 goals and 25 assists in 88 matches, claiming a La Liga title and a Copa Del Rey. Barcelona’s loss is certainly Arsenal’s gain.
The signing of Alexis Sanchez is reminiscent to that of the signing of Mesut Özil just under a year ago, both creating a sense of euphoria amongst Arsenal fans. After years of being cash-strapped and unable to compete financially with Europe’s elite, Arsenal are now becoming more accustomed to attracting top quality players again. It was incredibly important for Arséne Wenger to now build on foundations he had set in previous years, but also match the expectations that has risen profusely since the arrival of Özil – Alexis makes the grade. Özil has risen the standards of Arsenal Football Club and Alexis will do no different. He is a goalscorer, a creator and quite capable of the spectacular. His directness, trickery and pace fills an area that has been greatly lacking in the Arsenal ranks for quite some time. All top teams have players who have an ‘x-factor’, players who make fans rise off their seats in anticipation – Alexis will provide such an entity for the Gunners. Versatility is another key component to Alexis’ game as he can make an impact playing anywhere across the forward line and could give Arsenal a different dimension if deployed in a centre forward role – he has proven this consistently with his performances for Chile where he occupies this position.
State what you like about Alexis Sanchez, but his quality is undeniable, his commitment will be unquestionable. Arsenal have a world-class player on their hands. This could reinforce what seems to be a dawn of a new era for Arsenal Football Club.