Sanchez is an outstanding footballer and was exceptional during his time at the Emirates. Just a glance at his record since arriving in north London tells you all you need to know about his quality.
He scored 80 goals in 165 appearances and also contributed 41 assists during that time. He scored in two FA Cup finals, as well as the winner in the semi-final against Manchester City last season as well.
Sanchez is a player who loves the big stage and what he did for Arsenal can’t be questioned - but there is a good case for the argument that Wenger’s side will be better off without him.
For all his undoubted quality, Sanchez could also be a hugely frustrating player to watch - and to play with.
The former Barcelona man is an individualist, a player who when he gets on the ball wants to drive towards goal and make something happen. His first thought is certainly not always about his teammates. And when he does look to pass, he often picks the more difficult option, the one that could see a promising move break down.
When Sanchez was in the team, Arsenal’s play revolved around him and Mesut Ozil. He was such a huge presence on the field, he was always demanding the ball, always demanding more from his teammates. Unsurprisingly, that saw tensions boil over from time to time.
Sanchez was often the match winner, but he was also often the point where a period of play broke down and the ball was turned over after misdirected pass.
Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal are a side who have become known around the world for their slick style of attacking play. It’s a brand that has been built over two decades and of which their fans are rightly proud.
The phrase ‘Wenger-ball’ has been banded around for years - but since Sanchez has turned up at Arsenal that style of play that Arsenal are so admired for has gradually declined.
Whether that is purely down to him and his individual ways can be argued either way, but certainly in the last two seasons Arsenal had become all about him, rather than the team.
But more importantly, the link-up play behind him was so much more fluent and interchangeable that what we’ve become accustomed to in recent years.
In all honestly, Arsenal had actually become pretty boring to watch over the past year or so. They were slow, looked lethargic on the ball and if Sanchez or Ozil didn’t do anything, then they never looked like breaking teams down.
But suddenly with Henrikh Mkahitaryan is the side linking up with Ozil, they looked a totally different animal. There was a swagger about them that we have not seen for a long time.
Everyone was moving, everyone was combining well. It was touch and move football reminiscent of some of the best we’ve seen under Wenger - albeit they were helped by an Everton team that even Sam Allardyce labelled as crap.