Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
The statistic that suggests Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez has been the best player across Europe this season
Where would Arsenal be without Alexis Sanchez this season?
It’s a fair question based on the events of the first half of the Premier League campaign, as Arsenal’s 28-year-old forward has stolen the show at the Emirates to keep the Gunners in the battle to hunt down leaders Chelsea at the top of the table.
With his headed goal in the comeback draw at Bournemouth last night, Sanchez became the first player across all of Europe’s top five leagues to have been directly involved in 20 goals since September – scoring thirteen and assisting seven so far this season.
He has been the heartbeat of Arsene Wenger’s side this year, creating the most chances out of any Arsenal player this season (54) and scoring five more goals that Theo Walcott, Arsenal’s second top goal-scorer.
With his seven assists, Sanchez has even provided four more than the supposed ‘assist master’ Mesut Ozil; it goes to show how his all-round play has been critical for Arsenal this season.
For a point of comparison, Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has created just shy of a fifth of the chances that Sanchez has (11), scoring two less than the Chilean as well as five less assists.
Lionel Messi, Sanchez’s former teammate at Barcelona and four-time Ballon d’Or winner, has also only created half the number of chances (24) that the Arsenal forward has this season.
This is the sort of esteemed company that the 28-year-old finds himself in at the moment, and it’s hard to disagree that he’s one of the best players in the Premier League at present time.
As well as his work on the pitch, it also seems like Sanchez’s mentality has changed at Arsenal too; at full-time in the 3-3 draw at Bournemouth last night the Chilean showed his frustration, reacting furiously at Arsenal dropping points despite their thrilling second-half comeback.
This reaction shows how committed he has become, and how he’s developed to become a cult icon at the Emirates – it’s clear to see how passionate he is about the club, despite the increasing transfer speculation over whether a new contract is to be signed or not.
For Arsenal to sustain a title challenge in the foreseeable future, however, it’s pivotal that Sanchez remains at the Emirates. Fortunately for Arsenal fans, that he is “really happy” at Arsenal, so any fears over a move away from London should be lifting slightly.
Featured Image: All rights reserved by