Arsene Wenger has managed to sum up perfectly why Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester United doesn’t rank nearly as high on the pain-o-meter as Robin van Persie’s in 2012.
Speaking about Alexis’ impending move to United, which will allegedly see him rake in £14m-a-year, Wenger admitted that the Chilean’s move to Manchester isn’t nearly as ‘disappointing’ as when Van Persie left for the same club five-and-a-half years ago.
“We took Van Persie when he played in the reserve team at Feyenoord,” Wenger said. “And we made a long work with him. When you get them there to the level and, after, they leave – of course that is the most painful and, after that, they do well for the other club.
“I would say our fans know Alexis will not extend his contract and they have accepted that idea. And the fact it will not be one-way traffic, it will be other way traffic as well [with Mkhitaryan] – that makes the whole thing a bit smoother, maybe, a bit less disappointing.”
Alexis was at Arsenal for three-and-a-half years and I’m sure most Gooners will agree with me when I say he never really felt like a Gunner. He wasn’t like Mesut Ozil, who genuinely seems to have formed a connection with the club, manager, fans and city.
It always felt as if Alexis had one eye on the exit and as if Arsenal was just a stop on the way to City or, as it turned out, United.
Van Persie had been at Arsenal for eight years and we’d nursed him through several big injuries. Wenger had him scouted as a youngster at Feyenoord, where the Dutchman is now set to return.
When Van Persie left, he’d just had the best season of his life. He’d hit the form we all knew he was capable of, scoring 30 goals and assisting 14 in 38 Premier League appearances.
The striker then went on to win the title straight away with his new club but not before blind-siding Arsenal with his patronising ‘hey guys’ announcement on his personal website.
Although it’s not quite up there with Cesc Fabregas’ move to Barcelona, Van Persie’s switch to United probably ranked about a seven-or-eight out of 10 on the pain-o-meter.
Alexis’ is about a three.