Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli wants Alexis Sanchez reunion with Arsenal star unsettled at the Emirates

Sampaoli and Sanchez with the Chile national team
AFP/Getty Images
James Benge14 March 2017

Sevilla head coach Jorge Sampaoli says he hopes to coach Alexis Sanchez again with the forward seemingly bound for the Arsenal exit.

Sanchez seems likely to leave Arsenal in the summer after a breakdown in relations between the Chilean and the rest of the club, with many of Arsene Wenger’s first team squad far from impressed with their team-mate’s conduct as he enters the final 15 months of his contract.

It has been reported that Sevilla could be a possible destination for the 28-year-old, though considering Sanchez has demanded over £250,000-a-week to sign a new deal at Arsenal it seems unlikely the Andalusian side could finance a deal.

However the lure of Jorge Sampaoli, Sanchez’s coach during Chile’s Copa America triumph in 2015, could prove strong even though the Sevilla boss’ future is little clearer as he is heavily linked to Barcelona.

"It would be great to have the chance one day [to coach Sanchez]," said Sampaoli. "He is a top, top player. One of the best forwards in the world I would say.

"I was lucky to share a time with him in the national team. We went to a World Cup together, we won the Copa America with him in the side as well, it was a very satisfying period of my career and it was great to share it with Alexis."

Sanchez has been Arsenal’s outstanding performer this season, scoring 21 goals in 37 appearances for Arsene Wenger’s side.

However his attitude seems to be a matter of growing concern, with goalkeeper Petr Cech being forced to defend his team-mate last week after claims Sanchez had been laughing on the bench during Arsenal’s 5-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich.

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Sampaoli knows what it takes to get the best out of Sanchez, one of Chile’s leaders in their first Copa America triumph, and is convinced the striker can fire Arsenal’s stuttering season back into life.

"He is one of the best strikers in the world and, irrespective of the fact his team aren't going through a good patch of form at the moment, I think they have the right kind of player there who can change things for them," Sampaoli added.

"Hopefully, they depend on him to change things around in that team."

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