by Nia Griffiths

Alexis Sanchez’s Chile won the Copa America tournament on Saturday but could this have repercussions for Arsenal’s season?

Due to being in the competition so late, Alexis hasn’t had a summer. The forward needs rest and therefore, will miss out on the opening stages of our season.

Before the tournament, Arsene Wenger said that, although a win would be fantastic for Chile, who’ve been waiting for 99 years to win the trophy, it wouldn’t be so good for Arsenal who will be missing one of their most important players during a crucial time.

“That is not good news (for Arsenal),” the boss said, “because they (Chile) finish very late and if they go very far, he will miss the start of the season.”

Alexis won the award for PFA Fan’s Player of the season in May, which goes to show what an integral part of the team the 26-year-old has become in just one year with us. He also scored 25 goals and assisted 12. This is incredibly exciting for a player who’s never played in the Premier League before and I’m sure he’ll only get better.