Alexis Sanchez will get his first summer off for several years, but may not still be an Arsenal player.
It’ll be scant consolation to Alexis that he’ll be getting a long overdue summer off. Chile have been involved in a summer international tournament every year since 2014, and Alexis has been to every one of them.
They played in the World Cup in 2014, before winning the Copa America in 2015. They then played in the special Copa America Centenario in 2016, which they also won. Their success earned them a spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup.
Thanks to that, Alexis hasn’t had a full pre-season with Arsenal since arriving from Barcelona in 2014. Chile’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup means that Alexis will now get a full pre-season for somebody.
However, several Arsenal fans have reached the same conclusion: Arsenal will not be able to benefit from this in any way, reports the Mirror. Odds are, Alexis will leave the club in the summer when his contract expires.
First time Alexis Sanchez will have a free summer and it's not going to be at Arsenal. Lovely.
— SlovenianGooner (@slovenianGooner) October 11, 2017
It's just ironic that the one summer Alexis Sanchez is finally free, he won't be coming back refreshed as an Arsenal player…
— Riyan Vatcha (@riyanvatcha) October 11, 2017
Alexis Sanchez never had a free summer during his Arsenal career. He will have it now after end of his contract next year. #BRACHI #WCQ2018
— Nipun Yerramalla (@yerramallanipun) October 11, 2017
So… Alexis Sanchez is gonna have a summer off for the first time in god knows how long – just when he leaves Arsenal. How convenient…
— Noir Confidential (@Noir_Con) October 11, 2017
At the very least, if Alexis does extend with Arsenal, unlikely as that is, he’ll come back fresh in the summer. If not, Manchester City, or one of the other clubs who are interested in him, will get a full pre-season with their new signing.