Alexis Sanchez will only be the second player Arsenal have sold Manchester United since Arsene Wenger came on board in 1996.

Since Wenger took over at Arsenal 21 years ago, only three players have switched between the Gunners and United.

In August 2008, the Red Devils managed to con us into signing Mikaël Silvestre for £855k. The Frenchman was the first United player to move to Arsenal since Brian Kidd in 1974.

The centre-back was at Arsenal for just two years, and only made 26 league appearances during that time. In 2010, we released him to Werder Bremen.

Then there was Robin van Persie in 2012. The Dutchman, who, after eight years of being nursed by Arsenal’s medical team, decided to ‘follow the little boy inside him’ to the Gunners’ rivals.

robin van persie
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 05: Robin van Persie of Arsenal celebrates scoring their third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Norwich City at the Emirates Stadium on May 5, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

With a year left on his contract and his 30th birthday fast-approaching, the £25m Arsenal received was of little consolation considering RvP was one of the best strikers in Europe.

He’d netted 37 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions in his final season with the Gunners, providing 14 assists. And he would go on to help United to the Premier League title in his debut campaign at Old Trafford.

That one hurt.

Finally, in 2014, we signed good old Danny Welbeck for £18m. The 26-year-old has made just 40 Premier League starts since the move.

It’s hard to say for sure why United and Arsenal haven’t done much business since Wenger arrived. The most likely explanation is the rivalry.

Not just between the two clubs, but between Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, after the Frenchman moved to the Premier League.

At this point in time though, I think it’s pretty easy to tell which club did better out of the sporadic transfer dealings.