Alexis Will Excite And Frustrate Arsenal Supporters In Equal Measures

Arsenal fans may look at Alexis’ figures from last season – 21 goals and 17 assists in all competitions, by far the best of his professional career – and wonder why Barcelona were so ready to sell this summer. The answer isn’t a simple one, involving looking beyond numbers and more at the bigger picture, and shows a rare piece of foresight from the La Liga side, who haven’t exactly excelled in that capacity in recent years.

One of the most common reactions to the deal back in Barcelona has been that of amazement at the fact that the Blaugrana have managed to ‘sell well’, that’s to say, actually managed to bring in the real value of a player rather than under-selling. There is the odd dissident voice questioning the decision, but rightly or wrongly, you won’t find many Catalans crying about the loss of the man who wore the club’s number nine for the last three seasons.

The reasoning for that boils down to a great contradiction: for all that Alexis has been capable of producing moments of genuine magic in a Barcelona shirt, he was equally capable of doing the unthinkable when it mattered most. That’s illustrated well by two different showings at two difficult away grounds in his first season at the club. On December 10, 2011, the Chilean produced an astoundingly brilliant performance leading the line at the Santiago Bernabeu, working tirelessly in front of Lionel Messi, scoring Barcelona’s first goal and proving decisive in a 3-1 away win. Barca supporters felt they may have something special on their hands with el Niño Maravilla.