Alexis Sanchez made his return to the Arsenal side in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth, coming off the bench in the second-half to a mixed reception at the Emirates Stadium.
Supporters were polarised on social media too.
The 28-year-old looked close to a move to Manchester City on transfer deadline, with the Gunners having accepted a £60m bid at the end of August. However, Arsenal’s failure to secure a replacement in Monaco’s Thomas Lemar led to Alexis being forced to stay.
Fans haven’t forgotten quotes made from the Chilean international where he admitted he wanted to join a side in the Champions League at the end of last season, while having turned down the chance to extend his stay past next summer, and it seems they weren’t too fussed seeing Alexis back as a result.
enough with the @Alexis_Sanchez stories now. He wanted to leave us, it's that simple. No amount of PR spin will change that#AFC
— theBADD!E (@theBADDIE) September 10, 2017
Alexis Sanchez is finished at Arsenal, just need to get the most out of him and utilise him as much as possible until he goes #AFC #Sanchez
— SpiderBoris Ⓥ (@laylasdad) September 10, 2017
Some fans did feel Alexis deserved more respect despite the past, given his service to the club since signing from Barcelona in 2014. With the South American attacker renowned for his work-rate on the pitch, some do feel he’s still trying hard in what could be his final year at the London club.
Bagged 3 points yesterday @LacazetteAlex scoring a great goal 40% of our fans booing @Alexis_Sanchez he doesn't deserve that #AFC
— Duke of Vandals (@ilbalestra) September 10, 2017
Fans could see Alexis in action again on Thursday, with manager Arsene Wenger hinting that he may include the forward in a strong lineup against Germain outfit FC Cologne.