adminLONDON. – About this time last year, Arsenal fans were hoping to watch a world-class South American forward, newly signed from a top Spanish club, make his debut for his new team in an Emirates Cup game.
They did, but Gonzalo Higuain was playing for Napoli. This summer, there will be no such distress in north London.
The Gunners learned their lesson and Alexis Sanchez’s signature was secured soon after Chile had been eliminated from the World Cup; if they needed any more convincing as to the class of their top transfer target, two goals in four games, including one against Brazil, and the vibrancy of the side he led will have done the trick.
Alexis is likely to play some part, though not the full 90 minutes, when Arsenal take on Benfica today. Tickets, unsurprisingly, are sold out for both days of this year’s edition of the four-team tournament, with Monaco their opponents tomorrow and Valencia making up the quartet.
Arsenal have spent big for two summers in a row now, with Alexis coming in for around €40 million, and Wenger seems to have accepted that high-profile purchases are a necessary component of any strategy to take the club back to the summit of English football. But it’s worth remembering that before Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, at €19 million, was the biggest splash the Gunners had made in the market since they signed Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin in 2008-09 for similar fees.
The excitement around Wenger’s latest investment, then, is understandable, and Alexis’ track record suggests it is justified.
Barcelona had Financial Fair Play and Luis Suarez (not to mention Ivan Rakitic and Jeremy Mathieu) to think about, but Alexis joins Arsenal off the back of what was probably the best season of his career.
He broke the 20-goal barrier for the first time in all competitions, netting 19 in La Liga and laying on a further 10 assists.
He would seem to be a perfect fit for Arsenal, too, giving them the pace they have lacked in attack with Olivier Giroud as the lone striker and Theo Walcott absent through injury. Ozil, too often surrounded by a collection of playmakers rather than forwards capable of making the most of his service, must be just as pleased as the supporters.
The job Wenger now faces is gelling his new and existing players into a team as they trickle back from extended post-World Cup holidays. Alexis did not join his new team-mates for their training camp in Austria as he was required to travel to Paris to acquire a visa, according to Wenger. – Goal.com.
Online Reporter