Judging by Alexis Sanchez’s body language at Dean Court this week he is becoming increasingly frustrated with life at Arsenal and it’s entirely conceivable we may see the Chilean striker work his magic fo another club sometime soon.
His unhappiness is a source of concern for Gooners everywhere who know full well just how talented the 28 year old is and while we don’t wish to rub salt into wounds maybe it’s worth illustrating just how important he is to them too. Data courtesy of EA SPORTS show why Arsenal cannot afford to lose not only their best player, but the most valuable player in the entire Premier League.
Goals & Assists
| Player | Club | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists | Goals & Asissts | Mins per Goal/Assist |
| Alexis Sánchez | Arsenal | 1707 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 85 |
| Diego Costa | Chelsea | 1681 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 88 |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Manchester United | 1710 | 13 | 3 | 16 | 107 |
| Romelu Lukaku | Everton | 1647 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 110 |
| Adam Lallana | Liverpool | 1295 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 93 |
| Jermain Defoe | Sunderland | 1792 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 138 |
| Sadio Mané | Liverpool | 1654 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 127 |
| Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | 1271 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 106 |
| Christian Eriksen | Tottenham Hotspur | 1667 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 139 |
| Matt Phillips | West Bromwich Albion | 1573 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 131 |
| Sergio Agüero | Manchester City | 1143 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 104 |
Sanchez has bagged 13 goals and racked up 7 assists already this season, putting him 2nd in the goal scoring charts and 3rd in the assist charts – only Ibrahimovic has scored more goals than Sanchez so far this season and only Kevin de Bruyne (9) and Matt Phillips (8) have set up more goals than Alexis Sanchez.
Hoever, Sanchez has directly been involved in more Premier League goals this season than any other player, and is involved in more goals per minute than any other Premier League player. Sanchez has average a goal or assist every 85 minutes, better than one a game on average. The 20 goals that he has been involved in mean that he has either scored or assisted a staggering 45.5% of Arsenal’s goals this season.
Chances Created
| Player | Team | Position | Chances Created |
| Dimitri Payet | West Ham United | Midfielder | 74 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | Midfielder | 58 |
| Christian Eriksen | Tottenham Hotspur | Midfielder | 55 |
| Alexis Sánchez | Arsenal | Forward | 54 |
| Mesut Özil | Arsenal | Midfielder | 45 |
One fact that might surprise Arsenal fans in particular is that Sanchez has created the fourth most chances in the Premier League this season; including more than German teammate Mesut Ozil. Sanchez’s 54 chances created so far this term is more than any other forward in the league, with Ibrahimovic’s 33 chances created the next highest tally of any forward.
Touches in the Opposition Box
| Player | Team | Touches in Oppo Box |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Manchester United | 150 |
| Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | 148 |
| Alexis Sánchez | Arsenal | 145 |
| Diego Costa | Chelsea | 134 |
| Sadio Mané | Liverpool | 128 |
Sanchez has also shown his ability to get in to the right areas and has had the third most touches in the opposition box of any Premier League player, showing the threat he carries going forward for Arsenal.
Dribbling
| Player | Team | Successful Dribbles |
| Eden Hazard | Chelsea | 87 |
| Wilfried Zaha | Crystal Palace | 80 |
| Adama Traoré | Middlesbrough | 73 |
| Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | 55 |
| Paul Pogba | Manchester United | 54 |
| Alexis Sánchez | Arsenal | 52 |
Additionally, Sanchez has also shown the threat he carries on the ball, having completed the sixth most dribbles in the Premier League so far this season. Sanchez has completed 52 of his 81 dribbles so far this season, with a 64.2% completion rate.
In addition to the above, Sanchez has also showed his value to Arsenal where he has also had the most shots of any Gunner this season (68), completed more successful crosses this season (11) and played more minutes (1707) than any other outfield player in the Arsenal ranks.
