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Alexis Sanchez has Become Arsenal’s Biggest Fan and That will Make Him Unstoppable

By Josh Sippie

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Turns out that if you had asked Alexis Sanchez last summer what he thought of the team Arsenal had, he wouldn’t have known too terribly much. But since then, he’s become the most outspoken supporter of everything Arsenal. In the summer of 2014, he had to choose between joining Arsenal or joining Liverpool. In every way, he chose correctly.

After joining Arsenal, Alexis had this to say about his decision (via the Express):

"“With Ozil in the squad Arsenal was close to winning the league title last season.I hope I can make a contribution so we can win as many titles as possible. The team not only plays really good football, but the squad is really good and we can win silverware. We have a great squad and we are a big club. We can achieve big things. “Playing regularly wasn’t the only reason why I came here – I came here to win the league title, the Champions League and every title at stake. I am here to win titles and to achieve as much as possible.”"

With titles the only thing on his mind, he did take some time to point out rather generically that Arsenal have a “great squad,” a statement that any new signing would make. But since then, Alexis Sanchez’s love of the club has skyrocketed to the point of him being quite literally the biggest Arsenal fan, as well as one of the newest.

As recently as December of 2014, he made the statement that Arsenal had the same level of quality that Barcelona does (via the Telegraph):

"“My team-mates have helped me adapt. If my team-mates were not so good, then I would not have done so well. It is that easy. The quality here is impressive. You only need to take a glance around [a training session] to see that. It is the same level, more or less, as there was at Barcelona. We do different things in training, but player for player, it is just about the same.”"

He’s admitted openly that he was “surprised” at the quality players that Arsenal has and in nearly every interview since joining, he’s become more and more open about his new-found love for this club. His most recent comments on the topic came in an interview with Arsenal Player:

"“When I arrived at the club I didn’t know the players that well, but I was really surprised by everyone’s quality. I am not saying this just because it’s my obligation to do it as a club player. Every Arsenal footballer has amazing quality. Being part of a team like this makes me very proud. I am willing to win many titles here.”"

Alexis Sanchez, in less than a year, has become so passionate about his club and his team mates that there is nothing that can slow his determination to drag his team to a title (or two, or six). That kind of unbridled passion cannot be taught. You can’t teach a human being to love his team. Normally such passion comes from youth, as we see in Jack Wilshere, who has been with the club for a decade. When you’re raised in a club, you have no choice but to accept them as your second family.

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But for a new signing to come in and so quickly latch onto the culture of a team and place that team so deep in his heart that it feels like he’s been here his entire life is something special. As I said, you can’t teach that type of passion and it works wonders on the player’s contributions to a team. There are many good footballers in the world, many world class footballers in the world, but the best of all time were the players who really cared about their teams and loved their teams and wanted more than just individual success – and there aren’t as many of those as you’d think.

Mario Ballotelli has immense talent, no one can deny that, but he plays for himself and no one else. No club wants to take a gamble on him because they know where his passion lies, and it isn’t with them.

Alexis Sanchez is a world class player already and he always gives 100%, but since playing for Arsenal, his success has multiplied because he loves this club and wants them to succeed alongside him and not just because of him. He’s making his team mates better as well, as Alan Smith points out (via the Standard): “To see a player of his stature show such a hunger for the fight excites you. It’s had an effect on everyone. It’s great to see.”

And if you asked Alan Smith where that hunger comes from, aside from his natural tendencies, he’d tell you it comes from his love for the club. Frank McLintock even said that Alexis is already on the level of some of Arsenal’s greatest (via the Daily Mail).

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I’ve said it before that if Jack Wilshere were to go to another club, I don’t think he’d ever find the success he would find at Arsenal. Why? Because when your club is embedded in your heart, it would take more than a quadruple bypass to remove it. I’ll say it again, you can’t teach passion for a club. Alexis Sanchez now has that passion and I think that Arsenal was the only club that could truly pull it out of him. And who knew that it would come so early into his Gunner’s career?

Alexis Sanchez is a special player. He is an absolute ball hound. Wherever the ball is, you can bet that Alexis isn’t far away. That’s just his natural style, and it’s a rare style indeed. But when you see the disappointment in his face at a missed opportunity or a loss (as rare as those have become these days), it’s not so much disappointment in himself, though that’s a contributing factor, but disappointment that he let his club down or that his club lost.

If Alexis Sanchez believes he’s going to win multiple titles at Arsenal, than who am I (or you!) to doubt him?

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