Arsene Wenger has revealed that Alexis Sanchez had several offers before joining Arsenal last summer.
The Chilean international left Barcelona and completed his switch to the Emirates before the start of the season. He was made aware by the Catalan club his services are no longer required at Camp Nou.
Liverpool were keen on signing him as they were looking for a swap deal, which allowed Luis Suarez join Barcelona. However, Sanchez snubbed the Reds and few other clubs as Wenger claims his heart was set to join the Gunners.
“Alexis has played in Italy, in Spain and he moved clubs – that of course helps,” Wenger told Arsenal Magazine.
“The second part is that the move is a reward for what he really wanted. Alexis had a few options and he chose us because he felt that’s where he wanted to go.
“Sometimes a player moves somewhere and it’s not the choice that he deeply wanted. In his case, I think he really wanted to join us.
“On the pitch, the player has his needs. I felt that he came into a team that plays in an [attacking] way, where he can express his talent with freedom. It works out well for him. That helps.
“After, another step is that a team welcomes you with the values that you rate, and that in some parts of the team, you can feel at home when you need it sometimes.
“That means there are people inside the squad with a similar culture. For example we have plenty of Spanish-speaking people and I believe that helps to integrate people well,” he explained.
It definitely looks like Sanchez is happy with his current employers as he has been Arsenal’s top scorer this season. His performance has helped the north London club avoid defeats and his arrival has lifted the players and the fans at the Emirates.
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