Alexis Sanchez has hinted that former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas advised him to snub Liverpool in favour of joining Arsenal in the summer.
We signed the Chilean for a reported £35m in July and the 25-year-old has since taken the Premier League by storm, scoring eight times in 10 domestic outings – 11 goals overall.
It was reported last week that he forced Barcelona to accept our bid, despite Liverpool tabling £3 million more than us.
And Sanchez has now hinted that it was Fabregas, who spent eight years with the Gunners before leaving for Camp Nou in 2011, that convinced him to move to North London.
In an interview with AS Chile, he said: “People I trust told me really good things about Arsenal, about its greatness, and the quality of their players.
“Now that I’m here, sometimes I stop to look my teammates during the training session and I realise that I’m surrounded by a lot of quality stars. I have been impressed by their attitude and their talent. I know that with this team we can win many trophies in the coming years. I’m convinced.
“I’m very grateful to Barcelona for signing me and helping me to grow both as a player and person. I learned a lot through their players and I also matured as a person. That dressing room is full of nice people. I only have words of thanks to the club. But I am now at Arsenal and I hope to win everything here. That’s why I came here.”
I know what you’re thinking: Alex Song also played with Sanchez in Catalunya and, although true, The Gooner likes to think Fabregas sold him the idea.
Afterall, the Spaniard did want to return to the Emirates but, unfortunately, the desire to reunite was not mutual.