Arsenal have tonight confirmed that Henrikh Mkhitaryan has signed on the line at Arsenal with Alexis Sanchez going in the opposite direction to Manchester United.
Mkhitaryan comes into Arsenal following his spell at Old Trafford and he leaves having made 39 appearances with a return of five goals. He’s the captain of the Armenian national side and their all time top scorer.
The 29 year old eight time Armenian Footballer of the Year started his career with FC Pyunik, taking the Armenia Premier League title four times. His form for them saw him make the switch to Ukraine side Metalurh Donetsk, later making the switch to Shakhtar Donetsk where he added 72 appearances to his tally, lifting the Ukrainian Premier League three times.
In 2013 he made his way to the Bundesliga and Borussia Dortmund, making 90 appearances for them as they won the 2014 German Cup.
Speaking to the Official Site as he completed his move, Mkhitaryan said briefly.
‘I`m very happy that we could finish this deal and I`m very happy to be here. It`s a dream come true because I`ve always dreamed of playing for Arsenal. Now that I`m here, I`ll do my best for this club to create history.’
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger added.
‘Henrikh is a very complete player. He creates chances, he defends well, he can absorb distances and he`s very committed as well. I must say he`s a player who has all the attributes.’
It’s debatable as to whether Mkhitaryan was originally on Wenger’s shortlist for the month of January, and many fans will point to the differing goal return when compared to Sanchez and be hoping that he is an additional rather than a strict replacement, but this could be a shrewd deal down the line, especially if he can hit the ground running.
As part of the deal Sanchez obviously brings his time to an end at the club and he leaves with 80 goals in 166 appearances, helping us to the FA Cup in 2015 and 2017.
At least being confirmed now it can bring an end to the almost endless media speculation as it’s undoubtedly been a distraction in recent times.
