Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez wrote an emotional goodbye message on Instagram for Arsenal Football Club after his transfer to Manchester United was confirmed on Monday.
The 29-year-old is moving to Old Trafford after signing what is reported to be a four-and-a-half-year contract that will make him the highest-paid player in the Premier League. According to reports, Sanchez will earn a pre-tax salary of £500,000 (Rs 4.45 crore) a week.
The swap deal, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving the other way, brought an end to Sanchez’s three-and-a-half year stint at Arsenal after joining the London club for £31.7 million in 2014. He had tried to orchestrate a move to Manchester City last year and it was even reported that the Etihad Stadium was his primary transfer target in the current January window.
However, Manchester City pulled out, reportedly because of the Chilean’s high wage demands, before Manchester United swooped in.
Sanchez said he was “thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world” after being unveiled at Old Trafford on Monday.
However, in an Instagram post, he hit back at critics, mostly former Arsenal players, who had lashed out at him for wanting to move out of the club. Last week, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown called Sanchez “football’s biggest mercenary”.
Sanchez wrote, “There are people (former club players) who have spoken with no knowledge of what happens inside the club and cause damage. I must say I always gave 100%, until the last day, when I asked to the manager to be in the team, because I wanted to contribute.”
He added, “I remember today, a conversation I had with [Thierry] Henry, a historic Arsenal player, who left the club for the same reason and today it’s my turn.”
Henry’s official reason for leaving Arsenal in the summer of 2007 was the shock departure of club vice-chairman David Dein and uncertainty over the future of manager Arsene Wenger. As it turns out, Wenger continues to be Arsenal manager more than 10 years after Henry’s exit.
However, Sanchez’s remark gives the impression the Frenchman also had other reasons to leave, which he supposedly shared with the Chilean during a conversation.
Sanchez also thanked the Arsenal technical staff, the medical team, and his former teammates “with whom I shared many nice things”.
Here is the entire post:
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