Arsenal clinch capture of Chile's Sanchez
- adamhigginsuk
- Jul 10, 2014
- 2 min read
Pastures new: Sanchez is a welcome addition to bolster Arsenal's attacking options as the highly-rated Chilean becomes Arsene Wenger's first summer signing (Picture from Flickr.com)
ARSENAL have sealed the signing of Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.
The 25-year-old, who cut short his holiday to complete a medical and agree personal terms on Thursday, is believed to have cost around £30 million and signed a deal worth £140,000 per week.
Sanchez scored two goals in four appearances at the 2014 World Cup as he helped to guide Chile to the last 16 before their hopes were ended by host nation Brazil on penalties.
"I'm so happy to be joining Arsenal, a club which has a great manager, a fantastic squad of players, huge support around the world and a great stadium in London," Sanchez told Arsenal's official website.
"I'm looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and to be playing for Arsenal in the Premier League and Champions League. I will give my best to Arsenal and want to make all the supporters happy."
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who is expected to confirm the signing of Newcastle's Mathieu Debuchy in due course, added: "Alexis will add power, creativity and much quality to our squad and we are all looking forward to him joining up with us in a few weeks.
"He has consistently produced top-quality performances at the highest level for a number of seasons now and we are all excited to see him integrate into the Arsenal squad."
? DID YOU KNOW ?
Alexis Sanchez scored 47 goals in 141 games for Barcelona - and struck 24 times in 71 caps for Chile.
Sanchez won the 2011 Uefa Super Cup, 2011 Fifa Club World Cup, 2011 and 2013 Spanish Cups, 2012 Copa Del Rey and 2012/13 La Liga at Barca.
Sanchez scored 39 goals in 88 appearances for the Nou Camp side and won six trophies during his three-season stay in Spain.
He enjoyed his most successful campaign in 2013-14, scoring 25 goals in all competitions including an impressive tally of 19 strikes in 27 La Liga starts.
The former Udinese winger turned down Liverpool and Juventus to move to the North London club, where he will be the joint highest earner with Mesut Ozil, to make his eagerly-anticipated move to the Premier League.
The deal is likely to be the springboard for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez's £75 million switch to Barcelona from Anfield.
Sanchez, who will wear the number 17 jersey, will undergo a second medical on Friday and start pre-season training at the end of July with his first appearance expected to come in the Emirates Cup on 2 August.
Making an impression: Sanchez, who has been courted by a number of clubs across Europe, scored against Australia and Brazil in the World Cup (Picture from Goal.com)
Last updated: 10 July 2014 20:00pm
Comentários