Alexis finds new club after Arsenal phone snub
Daniel Edwards
- 26 Aug 2023 16:00 BST
- 3 min read
Alexis Sanchez is heading back to one of his former stamping grounds - but it is not the Emirates Stadium.
The Chilean had been without a club since leaving Marseille at the start of the summer window, after shining in France with the Ligue 1 giants.
The 18 goals in 44 games he scored over the course of 2022-23, however, were not enough to sway the Gunners, who reportedly gave his enquiries over a return short shrift.
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Fortunately for Alexis, Inter proved much more receptive, and he is now heading back to the club he represented between 2019 and 2022 after signing a one-year deal with the Nerazzurri.
"109 appearances, 20 goals and three trophies in Nerazzurri colours. These are numbers that Alexis Alejandro Sánchez will be looking to build on now that he’s officially an Inter player again," Inter, who the previous day confirmed Joaquin Correa's departure to Marseille on a loan deal, confirmed on the club's official website.
"Alexis spent last season at French side Marseille, where he scored 18 times in 44 matches. He thus got to discover another league, the sixth of his career.
"Now, he’s back in Italy and back in Nerazzurri colours.
"El Nino Maravilla’s journey is resuming in Milano with Inter."
4 years later 📸🖤💙#ForzaInter #WelcomeAlexis pic.twitter.com/j6OOmARHQO
— Inter (@Inter_en) August 26, 2023
Sanchez snubbed by Arteta
It could have been so different for Alexis, however.
Chilean outlet La Tercera reported earlier in the summer that the forward personally reached out to Mikel Arteta in a bid to secure a second spell at the Emirates.
Despite Alexis' sterling exploits as a Gunner, though - he scored 80 times for the club in three and a half seasons prior to moving to Manchester United in 2018 - the manager could not be swayed.
Alexis was informed over the phone that Arsenal were not interested in pursuing a deal, and that he would not be in Arteta's transfer plans this summer.
The 34-year-old's winding career has seen him represent nine clubs in six different countries, while also landing him league titles in Chile, Spain, Italy and Argentina.
He has also experienced glory at international level, playing a key part in back-to-back Copa America triumphs for Chile in 2015 and 2016 - the first in the nation's history.
