The Chilean's frustrations had boiled over into arguments with team-mates and his exit had been a long time coming
On July 10, 2014, Arsenal announced the signing of 25-year-old Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona for a fee in the region of £35 million.
In the same transfer window, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas joined Chelsea for a combined £52m, while Luke Shaw became the most expensive teenager in the world when Manchester United paid Southampton £27m for his services.
If Arsenal wanted value for money with their new Chilean maestro, they certainly got it. He played 166 games, scored 80 goals and racked up 46 assists.