Why was Alexis Sanchez angry?
The centre of Sanchez’ frustrations surrounded comments made by former Arsenal players.
He paid tribute to the Gunners staff and team-mates as he left but let rip in an angry Instagram rant at the old boys.
Sanchez wrote on Instagram: “I want to say thanks to the Technical Staff, to the medical team and all teammates with whom I shared many nice things for the club and especially those people who do not see themselves on the covers, but without them nothing would be possible, which are there to prepare food for us and take care of us day by day, those who keep our shoes clean and the grass in the best conditions.
ALEXIS SANCHEZ MAKES BIG BLUNDER IN FIRST MAN UTD INTERVIEW
“Many thanks to you for helping us to improve every day. Thank you very much.
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“There are people (former club players) who have spoken with no knowledge of what happens inside the club and cause damage. I must say I always gave 100%, until the last day, when I asked to the Mister to be in the team, because I wanted to be a contribution.
“I remember today, a conversation I had with Henry, a historic Arsenal player, who changed club for the same reason and today is my turn.
“Thanks for everything Gunners! All we achieved and the good moments that I gave to the club, I want to dedicate it to the fans, they are the most important. Thanks for every time you sing Alexis Sanchez Baby.”
So who is Alexis Sanchez annoyed with?
It’s most likely to be Martin Keown, who let rip at Sanchez in a newspaper column.
“Sanchez has got to be the biggest mercenary in football,” Keown told the Daily Mail.
“Manchester City have wanted to sign Sanchez since the summer and, if no deal is done in January, they will be waiting for him at the end of the season.
“City would be the natural place for Sanchez to go to develop his football. He has worked with Pep Guardiola before.
“But for Sanchez, this is clearly not about going to the best team, working with Guardiola and taking his game to another level.
“He has probably thought that he will not get a better offer if he waits until the summer, so he might as well take the best deal on offer now. It has been all about the money.”
What has Arsene Wenger said about the deal?
Wenger insisted the deal to let Alexis Sanchez go to Manchester United makes “sense” – because they get Henrikh Mkhitaryan in return.
He told Arsenal Player: “We move [him] out for free and in exchange Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
“We have a player who comes in on a three-and-a-half-year contract.
“So that means it makes sense on a negotiations point of view and secondly I believe that we’re replacing a very good player with a very good player, a world-class player with a world-class player.”
FIVE THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ALEXIS SANCHEZ
1. Hometown glory
In Sanchez’s hometown of Tocopilla, Chile, not only is there a statue in his honour but also a street named after him. Residents of the city voted and chose the street formerly known as ‘Cuarta Poniente’ (fourth street), the location of the Cancha Lazareto football pitch where Sanchez first began playing, to be renamed Calle Alexis Sanchez.
2. ‘The Wonder Kid’
Despite being known as ‘El Nino Maravilla’, which translates as ‘The Wonder Kid’, Sanchez went by a different name growing up. He was referred to by the people in his city as ‘ardilla’ or ‘dilla’, which translates as ‘squirrel’. He was given this nickname because he was always seen climbing on the roofs of houses and up trees as well as jumping into gardens and running under fences in order to find his football.
3. Santa’s little helper
Sanchez has always had a special bond with Tocopilla, and every year, when possible, he returns to the city at Christmas time. Along with the mayor and his friends, Sanchez stands on the back of a float handing out presents to the children of the village.
4. The barefoot boy
As a child, Sanchez’s mother could not afford to buy him any football boots. He therefore played a lot of the time barefoot, which he claims is the reason behind the style of play he has now – “running with little jumps” – as he used to frequently avoid rocks. However, when playing for local team Arauco, he was given his first pair of boots. The mayor of Tocopilla was a fan of Arauco and gifted Sanchez a pair of Reebok boots. When recalling the story Sanchez said: “I was as happy as a dog with two tails.”
5. And the Oscar goes to…
When discussing retirement Sanchez has said he would like to go into acting when his time on the pitch comes to an end. He claims this is why he always puts a lot of effort into any advertisements he is a part of. Sanchez would like to play the role of a detective in his movies, but does not think he would make it to Hollywood due to his still-limited command of English.