Arsene Wenger reveals Alexis Sanchez wants to start Arsenal's first Europa League game in 20 years against Koln
The Chilean was booed on his first game back since his Manchester City move broke down
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Arsene Wenger has seemingly lined Alexis Sanchez up to make his first start of the season in the Europa League on Thursday night against Koln.
The Chilean made his first appearance at the Emirates Stadium of the season as he came off the bench to a chorus of boos from the home support during the 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.
However he looked lively when on the pitch after the disappointment of missing out on a deadline-day move to Manchester City and will instead see out the remainder of his contract with Arsenal before leaving on a free transfer next summer.
Alexandre Lacazette and Danny Welbeck were paired up front from the start and took a full share of the goals after Wenger deemed Sanchez not yet physically ready to play 90 minutes after a double header for Chile last week.
But, with Arsenal making their first Europa League appearance for 20 years, the Frenchman could use the opportunity to hand Sanchez a start, despite admitting he intended on using the competition for the younger players during the summer.
“He is focused, he told me he is focused on the Premier League and Europa League,” said Wenger. “He had a bad result with Chile against Bolivia [last week], but he came back full of desire and ready to play.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments