10 April 2023 , 11:25
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More than five years after his exit, Alexis Sanchez is only just now starting to win over some Arsenal fans again.
The Chilean international has eased tensions between the two in recent weeks. There was his touching Instagram tribute to his former side before they faced off with another one of his old teams in Manchester United earlier this season.
The Gunners' Instagram account posted a video of a Sanchez screamer, which prompted him to reply: "You remembered me. I will never forget you too. You will always be in my heart, you were my first family in England, and everyone took good care of me, especially the fans! All the best Gunners!!"
Nearly 12 months ago, he also wrote 'Gunners' followed by a series of applause emojis on Granit Xhaka's post following a hard-fought away win over West Ham. Things have come a long way since Sanchez seemed to burn his Arsenal bridges by leaving the club for fierce rivals Manchester United.
It wasn't just the transfer itself that sparked fury, but also a message from Sanchez that seemed to suggest it was actually Arsenal's record goalscorer Thierry Henry who convinced him to call time on his stay in north London.
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The forward revealed: "I remember today, a conversation I had with Henry, a historic Arsenal player, who changed club for the same reason and today is my turn."
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Alexis Sanchez annoyed a large section of the Arsenal fanbase due to his conduct during his Emirates exit.The update prompted a section of Arsenal supporters to turn on the Gunners icon, with some slamming the Frenchman for what they thought was an attempt to get the current star player, Sanchez, to leave.
However, all was not what it seemed and just days later Sanchez was forced to take to social media once again to clarify his comments.
"I want to clarify that Henry never told me to leave the club, it was a personal decision," he wrote. "He LOVES the club and someday it would be nice to see him as the Arsenal coach because he loves the club."
Henry never addressed the backlash he faced in relation to the Sanchez saga.
At the time, it seemed as if Sanchez's relationship with the Arsenal faithful was damaged beyond repair. In the eyes of some, it still is, purely down to the fact that the Chile international joined an arch enemy in United.
But with the aforementioned Instagram tributes and positive comments, Sanchez is looked back upon a tad more fondly nowadays.
Irrespective of the way he left, few can deny that at his pomp there have been few better than Sanchez in an Arsenal shirt since the club upped sticks from Highbury to the Emirates.