On This Day in 2014: Alexis Sanchez joins Arsenal from Barcelona

The Chile forward moved for a reported £35million after agreeing a five-year deal.

Alexis Sanchez swapped the Nou Camp for the Emirates Stadium on this day in 2014 (Adam Davy/PA)
Alexis Sanchez swapped the Nou Camp for the Emirates Stadium on this day in 2014 (Adam Davy/PA)

Arsenal signed Chile forward Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona on this day in 2014 for an undisclosed fee.

Sanchez, then 25, swapped the Nou Camp for the Emirates Stadium for a reported £35million after agreeing a five-year deal.

The Gunners saw off stiff competition to land Sanchez, who had also been a target for Premier League rivals Liverpool and Italian champions Juventus.

Sanchez said: “I’m so happy to be joining a club which has a great manager, a fantastic squad of players and huge support around the world.

“I’m looking forward to playing in the Premier League and Champions League.”

Sanchez scored 47 goals in 141 appearances for Barca and had showcased his talents at the World Cup in Brazil, scoring twice to help Chile reach the last 16, where they lost on penalties to Brazil.

His first three seasons in north London were a big success, scoring 72 goals in all competitions for the Gunners.

Alexis Sanchez scored twice for Chile during the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil (Martin Rickett/PA)

But after an expected £60m move to Manchester City collapsed on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2017, Sanchez’s form dipped.

The Chilean had hoped to team back up with former Barca boss Pep Guardiola at City, but the agreed transfer had been dependent on Arsenal securing a replacement and when they failed to sign Thomas Lemar, the deal was called off.

The following January, Sanchez moved on to Manchester United in a swap deal with midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan after Gunners manager Arsene Wenger admitted uncertainty over the forward’s future had affected team spirit.

Sanchez scored 80 goals in all competitions in total for Arsenal and was involved in 121, more than any other Gunners player during his time at the Emirates.

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Please enter a valid email
Please enter a valid email
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Please enter your first name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
Please enter your last name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
You must be over 18 years old to register
You must be over 18 years old to register
Opt-out-policy
You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe.

By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Join our new commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in