Manchester United have announced the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in a deal that sees Armenian midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, move in the opposite direction.
Speaking about his transfer, Alexis Sanchez said: “I am thrilled to be joining the biggest club in the world. I have spent three-and-a-half wonderful years at Arsenal and I bring with me very positive memories of that great club and its fans. The chance to play in this historic stadium and to work with Jose Mourinho was something I could not turn down. I am very proud to be the first Chilean player ever to play for United’s first team and I hope I can show our fans all around the world why the club wanted to bring me here.”
Jose Mourinho commented: “Alexis is one of the best attacking players in the world and he will complete our very young and talented group of attacking players. He will bring his ambition, drive and personality, qualities that make a Manchester United player and a player that makes the team stronger and the supporters proud of their club dimension and prestige.
“I would like to wish Henrikh all the success and happiness that I am sure he is going to get. He is a player that we will not forget, especially for his contribution to our Europa League victory.”
On the other way round, Henrikh also made a switch to Arsenal on a long term deal.
Henrikh made 39 appearances while at Manchester United, scoring five times and was part of their UEFA Europa League winning squad last season. He is the captain of the Armenian national team and is their all-time top scorer. He has also received the Armenian Footballer of the Year award eight times.
The 29-year-old midfielder started his career with Armenian side FC Pyunik, where he won the Armenian Premier League on four occasions. He then moved to Ukraine where he played for Metalurh Donetsk, before joining Shakhtar Donetsk, where he made 72 appearances, winning the Ukrainian Premier League three times. In 2013, Henrikh transferred to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, where he made 90 appearances, during which time he was part of the 2014 German Cup winning squad.
On his move, Henrikh said: “I’m very happy that we could finish this deal and I’m very happy to be here. It’s a dream come true because I’ve always dreamed of playing for Arsenal. Now that I’m here, I’ll do my best for this club to create history.”
Arsène Wenger added: “Henrikh is a very complete player. He creates chances, he defends well, he can absorb distances and he’s very committed as well. I must say he’s a player who has all the attributes.”
