Arsenal are set to sign Colombian sensation Juan Fernando Quintero with the Porto player reportedly set to fly to London to complete the transfer.
The Gunners were rumoured to have agreed a £15.8million fee with Porto earlier this week for Quintero, with suggestions in Portugal that a deal was close.
And now leading journalist Diego Rueda is one of a number of respected sources saying the 21-year-old is heading to north London.
Rueda says the player has trained for the final time with Porto and will arrive on Monday to complete the switch.Quintero, a quick and skilful play-maker who can also play on the wing, he’s rated as one of the finest talents around and has previously courted interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.
ARSENAL midfielder Jack Wilshere believes the sky is the limit for young Gunner Gedion Zelalem and he could become a legend .
Berlin born academy product Zelalem, 17, made his Arsenal debut last season against Coventry City in the FA Cup and has impressed observers so far in pre-season.
22-year-old Wilshere believes Zelalem, who became the first player to play for Arsenal who was born during Arsene Wenger's reign as manager, is set to make the breakthrough at the Emirates this season.
"He's a great kid and that's the main thing," Wilshere told the club's official website www.arsenal.com
"He's willing to learn, he's willing to listen, he's respectful and he looks up to us.
"He always asks questions about what he should be doing. The main thing is his ability - that's the key thing with him.
"He's got so much ability and he can go where he wants. Maybe he needs to get a little bit stronger but his ability will take him through.
"Gedion's got so much natural ability and the right attitude towards the game. Naturally he's going to become stronger and he's training with great players.".
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce is hoping to wrap up a loan deal for Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson 'in the next 24 hours'.
Sky Sports revealed on Tuesday that the 22-year-old full-back was closing on a move to Upton Park.
With Arsenal having drafted in Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers to cover the loss of Bacary Sagna to Manchester City at the end of his contract, Jenkinson remains some way down the Emirates Stadium pecking order.
A loan switch would allow him to get useful minutes under his belt, and there has been no shortage of Premier League interest.
West Ham have led the chase from the off, though, and Allardyce believes they are poised to complete another deal that shows the club are heading in an exciting new direction.
He told talkSPORT: “We’ve been interested in these last couple of days in signing Carl Jenkinson on loan from Arsenal and I hope it’s going to be completed in the next 24 hours, so we hope that’s going to be okay.
“I think we’ve gone out and tried to improve the strength and depth of the squad.
“We’ve tried to go a little younger, which I think is important today because they can be with the club for a long time.
“We have brought in young Cheikhou Kouyate from Anderlecht and Aaron Cresswell from Ipswich, who was the PFA left-back of the season for the Championship, so he’s a good young prospect.
“We’ve also brought in Mauro Zarate from Argentina, who scored 18 goals last season, so we have different dynamics in the front line.”
Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United have been put on high alert with the news that Carvalho is for sale
Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea are all on high alert after Sporting Lisbon reluctantly accepted that they will have to sell William Carvalho this summer. All three clubs have been heavily linked with moves throughout the transfer window, with the latest offer being a £24m bid from Arsenal last month.
The offer was turned down as Sporting Lisbon are holding out for someone to match the midfielder's £37m release clause. However, the club's growing desire to cash-in on the player this summer could see them sell him for much less than that figure.
Reports from Portugal are claiming that the 22-year old will be sold on to help Sporting raise some cash for new signings. These reports are also claiming that they want him gone sooner rather than later, so that they have more time to recruit new players.
Lisbon would want the money up front and not paid in installments and for any team that pays the cash up-front, there could be a substantial discount on the fee.
Arsenal are the most likely to make an offer of this manner, as they have a reputation for doing so. However, it remains to be seen whether Chelsea and Man United will do the same and rekindle their interest in the wake of this development.
Arsenal are considering a new bid for Wilfried Bony but will have to fight off similar interest from the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur after Swansea City admitted he could leave.
According to the Daily Star, the Premier League trio are ready to make offers for the prolific striker this summer and have been given encouragement by recent comments made by his club.
Great guy
"Wilfried Bony is a fantastic professional,” said Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins.
"If a top Champions League club comes in, and puts the right offer on the table, then of course we will speak to him.
"There are no issues with Bony. He's a great guy to have around the club. As much as we want players to stay with us for a number of years, we have to be open."
Trio ready to do battle
The report claims all three of Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal have issues at centre-forward and see Bony one of a number of ideal options for this summer, though any move for the former Vitesse Arnhem frontman is likely to be a costly job.
Brendan Rodgers is assessing his options with regards to strikers after the deal to purchase Loic Remy from QPR fell through following a failed medical. Doctors discovered the risk of a heart issue with the France international, which out paid to his move to Anfield.
Liverpool sold top scorer Luis Suarez to Barcelona this summer and have only brought in England striker Rickie Lambert from Southampton to replace him. Daniel Sturridge’s presence means there is still one half of last season’s most potent attacking duo left, but more cover is needed for what will be a more fixture heavy campaign with the addition of Champions League football.
Gunners an unlikely option
Meanwhile, the report claims that Arsenal are still on the lookout for a like for like back-up for Olivier Giroud, who was overplayed last season as he was the only viable centre-forward at the club.
However, youngster Yaya Sanogo has another season under his belt and they have signed £30million forward Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona this summer too. All of this suggests that more striking options are unnecessary if nobody leaves Emirates Stadium in the meantime.
Spurs have a need
Tottenham are probably most in need of Bony services because they would be taking a risk not to add another striker to their ranks. Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor both struggled for much of last season, while Harry Kane does not look ready to make a step up in quality at the moment.
It looks as though new Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is already in the hunt for a new striker, as reports earlier this week claimed he was close to completing a deal for Jay Rodriguez from his former clubs Southampton. But the Saints have since insisted the pair are not for sale and Bony could be the next option for the White Hart Lane club.
Promising player
Bony has only had one season in the Premier League with the Welsh club, but has put in some fine displays for them and had looked capable of playing for a bigger club.
He's only 25 years old and looked immediately comfortable in the English top flight - perhaps something to do with him being built like a brick outhouse - and 17 league goals in only 27 starts highlights his finishing prowes
Atletico Madrid are ready to dip back into their transfer war chest to meet the €20 million asking price Arsenal have placed on Santi Cazorla, reports Spanish newspaper AS.
Diego Simeone is starting to reinvest the money garnered from the sales of Diego Costa and Felipe Luis. Antoine Griezmann joined from Real Sociedad for €30 million and it appears Cazorla is next on the list.
€20 million asking price
Arsenal are reportedly ready to sell Cazorla should the right price be offered. The player is rumoured to be unsettled in London and the signing of Alexis Sanchez may push him down the pecking order.
Cazorla has been a fine player for Arsenal since joining from Malaga in 2012, but at 29, he may be at peak value and Arsene Wenger could jump at the chance to reclaim the fee he originally paid for him.
The Spanish international appeared 46 times in all competitions for Arsenal last season and was a key player at times. His versatility across midfield is a valuable asset so there is little chance of Cazorla leaving for less than the asking price.
Double deal possible
Another Arsenal star linked with a move to the Vicente Calderon recently is Nacho Monreal. The Spaniard has struggled to impress since joining in January 2013 and remains a firm back-up to Kieran Gibbs.
Atletico need a replacement for Luis and reports have linked the full-back with a return to Spain. Like Cazorla, Arsenal would hope to reclaim the €10 million they paid for him, however.
Both players have been speculatively-linked with a transfer to North London amid perpetual reports that Arsene Wenger must bolster his striking options if the Frenchman has ambitions of improving on his club's seemingly customary fourth-place finish in the Premier League.
Interest in Falcao, an athlete valued at £52.8 million by transfermarkt.co.uk, may not have had substance despite the Daily Star claiming the Gunners could capitalise on their Puma sponsorship to purchase the penalty-box predator who scored 70 goals from 91 games in all competitions for Atletico Madrid, before he transferred to the French Riveira.
Falcao is also coveted by Real Madrid, who wish to further reinforce their galactico-studded roster by adding Radamel to their completed purchase of James Rodriguez.
Martinez, meanwhile, has always represented a much more viable alternative, would command a lower transfer fee and is also hot in the box as he has struck 60 times since leaving South America two years ago.
While David Ospina is the first Colombian on the books at Arsenal, the goalkeeper is hopeful his signing will pave the way for others to follow.
He said: "I’m expecting to do very well so other Colombian players can also come here."
Is it feasible that Ospina is thinking of a Colombian striker considering the dearth of quality options at the Emirates Stadium?
Arsenal fans may well get a glimpse of Falcao this weekend even if the player is destined for a move to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu as Monaco are one of four clubs contesting the Emirates Cup and there is an outside chance that Falcao will make an appearance.
Arsenal have been criticised in recent seasons for their lack of spending, but as our Premier League transfer spending table shows, the Gunners haven't been afraid to splash the cash this summer. The signings of Alexis Sanchez, Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and David Ospina have handed the Gunners several new options in comparison to last season. 4-2-3-1 Arsenal are unlikely to entirely abandon their usual set-up from last season, and several of their new signings should fit in perfectly. Alexis can comfortably slot in on the right hand side, providing both width and a threat on goal with his runs into the box. Mathieu Debuchy, meanwhile, will add more quality on the ball to the right back’s role.
4-3-3
Against teams Arsenal are confident of beating, an attacking 4-3-3 could be an option for the Gunners. Instead of using Alexis Sanchez on the right, asking the Chilean to play through the middle could be particularly fruitful, with his diagonal runs confusing opposition centre backs. David Ospina's good feet should help the ball to reach Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, who would be tasked with building from deep.
4-4-2
Another option for the Gunners could be to switch to a 4-4-2, though in this instance, with Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey as the ‘wide’ players, the system is really more like a Manchester City-style 4-2-2-2, with width coming from full backs Nacho Monreal and Calum Chambers. Alexis Sanchez, meanwhile, is well suited to the role of supporting striker, having played regularly in that position with Chile.
3-5-2
The World Cup has sparked a revival in the use of three centre backs and two wing backs, and Arsene Wenger may yet consider using a similar system. Much will depend on if the Gunners manage to bring in a new centre back however, as both Carl Jenkinson and Thomas Vermaelen are rumoured to be on their way out of the club.
Should Jenkinson stay, he would be particularly useful on the right of a back three given his capacity to play both at centre back and right back. The system would also free Per Mertesacker to play as a sweeper, using his good passing to build from the back. Calum Chambers, meanwhile, looks like an ideal right wing back thanks to his ability to play over a number of positions on the flank, while Kieran Gibbs would provide some defensive balance on the other side.
In the middle, Aaron Ramsey can push on from a deeper role while Mathieu Flamini holds, and Mesut Ozil will be expected to provide inspiration as a true number ten. Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez make an obvious front two, while David Ospina’s good distribution could be particularly useful.
Abou Diaby has admitted he came close to retiring early after his devastating setback early in 2013, but is eager to put the past behind him and get his career back on track.
The 28-year-old managed just 16 minutes of football last season, featuring in Arsenal’s final Premier League game against Norwich. He missed over a year of football due to a cruel ACL injury, and contemplated calling it quits after yet another frustrating injury-ridden year.
Diaby has now set his sights on rejuvenating his footballing career and remain fit after overcoming a long road to recovery.
He said:
Did I consider quitting? Yes, sometimes it crossed my mind but my love of football is so big that I just couldn’t quit.
I am still young and now that I have an opportunity to play again I want to take it.
It’s great to be playing again and it’s a good feeling. I am just happy to be back and playing. Now I just hope I can keep like this and continue playing.
The France international has so far managed to remain fit after easing through two of Arsenal’s pre-season fixtures. He spent the summer rebuilding his fitness to ensure he avoids further setbacks, and feels he has given himself a solid base of fitness to work from.
He continued:
It is feeling good, I have been working hard on my fitness and strength.
It’s been hard, I have been doing so much work to make sure I am ready. That has taken up most of my summer but it has been good because now I am in a position where I can play games.
I have done the same kind of rehab as before but this time I have been working to make sure my fitness levels were where they should be for when I come back to play matches at the start of pre-season.
The “like a new signing” saying has come hand in hand with Diaby in recent campaigns. Coming back for the 2012/13 season, he was immense and became an integral cog in the Arsenal midfield.
Since joining in 2006 he has suffered a whopping 39 different injuries stemming from that one horrific ankle break during the early stages of his career in north London.
Diaby still has some years left at the top, and feels he can make an impression this campaign if he remains fit.
He concluded:
Will I be like a new signing? I guess so, but they have said that many times before. Now it’s just important for me to be back and able to play.
I am really confident and optimistic that I will be able to stay injury free. I have worked hard for over a year now.
Unfortunately luck has not been on Diaby’s side for sometime, but Wenger has no pressure to play the midfielder due to the depth in the squad. He played too much football around August/September of 2012, starring for his country too when he should have been managed more carefully.
Certainly it takes games and match practice to get into the groove of things, but Wenger can ease him into proceedings and hopefully we can really see the Diaby we all know and love this season. He’s an excellent player.
I’m not holding my breath though. This is his last chance.
According to the Daily Star, new Saints manager Ronald Koeman has set his sights of highly-rated Arsenal youngster Serge Gnabry. Following the departures of Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Rickie Lambert, and most recently Calum Chambers, the Dutchman has a matter of weeks to improve his side.
Last season Gnabry made just nine league appearances for the Gunners, although he did score his first ever professional goal. He missed the end of the campaign with a knee injury and is yet to be involved in pre-season after picking up another undisclosed problem. Nonetheless, his cameos saw him rewarded with a new five-year contract.
He has proven that he has the credentials to thrive as a Premier League winger, completing 85% of his attempted passes and just under half of his take ons, yet he would undoubtedly benefit from regular playing time; something he is more likely to be afforded at St. Mary’s.
With Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and summer recruit Alexis Sanchez all vying for a place in Arsene Wenger's starting eleven, Gnabry will have his work cut-out if he expects first-team action at the Emirates next season.
Koeman is aware that Arsenal will be keen to hang onto Gnabry, but is hoping that Arsene Wenger will allow the youngster to leave the club on loan.
While there are a number of other clubs believed to be chasing the 19-year-old, the Dutchman will be hoping recent negotiations with Arsenal will place the Saints as favourites to secure his services.
CLEMENT GRENIER has skipped training and been left out of Lyon's squad for their Europa League tie against Mlada Boleslav sparking Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle and Southampton's interest in the player.
According to reports in France, the midfielder has not participated in training since Friday yet his absence is not due to injury.
Ligue 1 outfit Lyon have agreed to let Grenier leave if a suitable offer comes in but he is thought to be holding out for a for a switch to the Gunners.
Lyon boss Hubert Fournier told But!: "We cannot talk about compensating for his potential departure. Due to his talent, we will not find somebody on the market to replace him because of our financial means.
"We will adapt appropriately if he leaves. For the moment, we have not had any satisfying offers.
"There have been propositions because he is a quality player who is wanted a lot around the world. But they were not perceived to be adequate by the club.
"Also, they were not what Clement wanted in terms of footballing level."
23-year-old Grenier has swiftly progressed at Lyon although injuries have limited his game time since making his debut in 2009.
Arsenal have re-opened negotiations to extend Olivier Giroud’s contract by a further two years.
Striker Giroud has two years to run on his current deal and talks over an extension started before the World Cup, where he played for France.
Giroud has now returned to Arsenal and travelled to Austria for a pre-season training camp, and talks over his future are understood to have re-started.
Manager Arsene Wenger is optimistic an agreement for 27-year-old Giroud to extend his stay at the Emirates can be struck relatively easily.
The move underlines the fact Wenger has forgiven Giroud for off-field issues that appeared to affect his form last season.
It also suggests that Wenger sees Giroud and new signing Alexis Sanchez playing together in the same team, rather than choosing between the pair.
Giroud was Arsenal’s only senior striker last season and scored 22 goals in all competitions. During his first two campaigns in English football, he has netted 39 times in 98 appearances.
Despite signing Chile forward Sanchez, Wenger is not blessed with many out-and-out strikers in his first-team squad after letting Nicklas Bendtner and Park Chu Young leave the club.
With Arsenal said to be still in the market for a defensive midfielder, the links to Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira show no sign of stopping any time soon.
It had seemed as if any potential deal was dead in the water with the player reportedly demanding around £150k per week from any new club, but the latest reports claim that he is ready to drop this down to £135k per week.
How nice of him. That sum would still make him the highest-paid player at Arsenal, ahead of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
While his fee, rumoured to be around £15m given that he only has one year left on his current contract with the La Liga side, is well within Arsenal’s budget, his wages would not be.
How much truth is there to any of this? It really is hard to tell at the time of the year. There seems to be no doubting that Real Madrid are prepared to let Khedira leave and that the player himself is open to continuing his career elsewhere, but is that likely to be at Arsenal?
With a strong German core already at the club, the midfielder would have no trouble settling in. Lukas Podolski has already hinted that he has been trying to tempt his compatriot to join the Gunners, but whether that’s had any effect we won’t know for sure until Khedira himself speaks about the matter.
There is also the possibility that all this talk about his wages is nothing more than the Real Madrid PR machine going in to overdrive. They have history when it comes to making players seem like they are the ‘bad guy’ in order that their fans do not blame them for letting a star name leave – just look at the smear campaign they instigated over Mesut Ozil last summer when he signed for Arsenal.
Is that what they are doing here with Khedira? Impossible to tell at this point but it’s always worth remembering that you can’t trust everything you read, especially not when a transfer window is open.
Joel Campbell finally got to team up with his Arsenal team-mates as the Gunners flew to Austria for a four-day training camp ahead of the Emirates Cup this weekend.
The Gunners trained at their London Colney training ground on Monday before flying out to Austria to prepare for the weekend's pre-season tournament.
They will returned ahead of the weekend when they host Benfica on Saturday and Monaco on Sunday, with Valencia making up the quartet of European clubs.
The Costa Rican, who signed for Arsenal in 2011, finally got to team up with the rest of the squad after work permit issues forced him out on loan at Olympiakos last season.
But Arsene Wenger is reportedly ready to farm the 22-year-old out on loan again.
This time, howeve, Wenger is more inclined to loan Campbell to a Premier League club - at least until January - this season.
West Ham, Everton, Southampton and Newcastle are all interested.
Campbell, who starred for his nation in the World Cup this summer, had a magnificent season in Greece last year with Olympiacos.
Arsenal striker Joel Campbell won't be allowed to leave north London unless a club is willing to pay a loan fee in the region of €1 million.
According to Turkish newspaper AMK, the Gunners will demand compensation from any side hoping to take the Costa Rica international on a short-term deal, with Galatasaray now believed to be at the front of the queue for his signature.
The Super Lig giants, now under the stewardship of Cesare Prandelli - who replaced Roberto Mancini as head coach at the Türk Telekom Arena - are keen to bring the 22-year-old to Istanbul for the 2014/15 campaign.
Campbell impressed on loan at Olympiakos last season, scoring 12 goals and providing 12 assists in 40 appearances in all competitions.
World Cup heroics
The talented forward also excelled for his country at the World Cup in Brazil this summer, prompting rumours that Arsene Wenger will bring the player into his Arsenal first-team this season.
The Gunners boss has been very patient with a star he first signed from Deportivo Saprissa in 2011, sending him out on loan again to Lorient in France and Real Betis in Spain prior to last year's spell in Greece.
Work permit issues
Campbell initially struggled to obtain a work permit which explains why the journeyman has been loaned out so frequently, but now that he has the green light from the relevant authorities he is ready to make his Premier League bow.
However, after Arsenal strengthened their squad with the arrival of Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona, competition for places in Wenger's starting XI this season could be at an all-time high.
The Costa Rican star might be better served leaving on loan again in order not to stall his continued development.
Serie 'A' interest
AC Milan have also been mooted as admirers of Campbell, with ESPN previously reporting that the Serie 'A' giants were prepared to pay £16 million to bring the player to the San Siro.
His agent Ruggero Lacerenza made little attempt to play down suggestions of a possible exit, fuelling rumours that Campbell is the subject of frequent enquiries - even more so after his heroics at the World Cup.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Campbell, who is currently in Austria at a pre-season training camp with the rest of Arsenal's senior squad. But, don't rule out the prospect of another loan move before the close of the window.
Benik Afobe has set his sights on securing another loan move before the start of the new season.
The 21-year-old struck twice in an Arsenal XI’s 5-1 victory over Harrow Borough on Saturday, and is looking for regular football to continue his development.
“For the first couple of weeks [of pre-season] I was with the first team and it has been going well,” the England under-21 striker told Arsenal.com. “Now I’m looking to go out on loan.
“Hopefully something will be done soon but, if not, I will keep working hard and keep training with the under-21s or the first team."
Afobe is hoping to replicate the success he’s had in loan spells with Championship clubs Reading, Bolton Wanderers, Millwall and, most recently, Sheffield Wednesday.
“I’ve gone out on loan and I’ve had experience of playing first-team football,” he said. “Playing on Saturday and Tuesdays is the best feeling ever.
“I want to play week-in, week-out and have a first full season without injuries - that’s the plan. I’ve had a couple of injuries and I’ve missed two seasons of football. I’m only 21, and in footballing terms I’m still 19.
“I want to go out on loan and play 40 injury-free games and improve as a player because, at the age of 21, you’re always getting better.
Arsène Wenger has said that he can understand the shock at the size of the fee – £16 million in total – that Arsenal are poised to pay for Southampton teenage full-back Calum Chambers.
Chambers, 19, has agreed personal terms to move to Arsenal and has completed a medical. Wenger hopes that the defender, who has made just 18 Premier League starts, will justify the fee through his versatility.
“He can play at centre-back, right-back and central midfield,” Wenger said. “I hope he will give us competition for the players in this three positions. He hasn’t played many games, no, but the English players on the market in England are very expensive and at the end of the day I was ready to take a gamble because he is a player for the future.”
Chambers is the third Southampton youngster to have been snapped up by Wenger, following Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Arsenal have signed Mathieu Debuchy to replace Bacary Sagna and Chambers will act as back-up in the right-back position. He is likely to play initially in the Capital One Cup and FA Cup for Arsenal this season, and will provide stern competition for Debuchy in the Premier League.
Wenger is positive that Chambers can have a similar impact to Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain, which persuaded the Frenchman to pay such a big fee. Chambers is tipped to break into the senior England squad, with the defence one of the positions Roy Hodgson is looking to strengthen.
The arrival of Chambers may well allow Carl Jenkinson to leave Arsenal, either on loan or permanently. West Ham United are interested in the right-back.
Alexis Sanchez may now be able to call himself a £30million Premier League footballer but he has not always led such a gilded life.
Arsenal's new forward grew up in poverty-stricken rural Chile in a mining town called Tocopilla - which literally means Devil's Corner - and he used to perform on the street for money at the tender age of six.
Yet now the 25-year-old is on a £130,000-a-week contract with Arsenal and will relocate to London from Barcelona with his girlfriend Laia Grassi.
In an interview with The Sun on Sunday, Sanchez's brother Humberto revealed the Chilean international's journey from his impoverished upbringing and earning a living on the streets at the age of six to global football superstar.
Humberto said: 'Alexis had nothing when growing up. He had to fight for everything he has.
'We were the poorest of the poor so Alexis had to earn money any way he could from a very young age.
'He would wash cars for a few pence or perform somersaults for a handful of coins from onlookers. He was like a little gymnast, hurling himself all over the place.
'The neighbours would give him a few coins for entertaining them. Sometimes he was so hungry he would knock on neighbours' doors and ask for bread. They would always gibe him what they had to spare. On occasions Alexis would box in the street for entertainment.'
Sanchez grew up in a single-storey house - which was roughly held together by wood, breeze blocks and corrogated iron - with his sisters Tamara, now 17, Marjorie, 32, and brother Humberto.
Their mother Martina raised her four children by herself after his father Gullermo Soto deserted them when Sanchez was a toddler. She did every odd-job going to bring in money for her children, including washing fish for her neighbours and selling flowers.
His daily release from the hardships of poverty was to play football barefoot on mud-covered streets - thankfully something he excelled at.
Humberto, 28, continued: 'His poor background is what makes him so hungry to succeed on the pitch. He knows how lucky he is to be where he is and never forgets where he comes from.
'If Alexis wasn't a footballer he would be working in the mines like most men around here. It's a very tough life for 300,000 pesos (£314) a month. Growing up around here Alexis had three options - mining, fishing or football.'
Sanchez had boundless energy as a child and was originally nicknamed 'the Squirrel' by his friends before he became known as 'El Nino Maravilla' - 'the Wonder Kid' - due to his unique footballing talents.
He was first spotted by Club Arauco youth team coach Alberto Toledo who brought him to the club even though he could not pay the fees. The forward once arrived late for a match and, with the team trailing 1-0, he came on and banged in eight goals.
Sanchez's journey continued as he moved to Cobreloa in Chile, then Argentina's River Plate, and Udinese in Italy's Serie A before joining Barcelona in 2011.
Last Christmas he went back to his home town with his brother and Tocopilla's mayor Fernando San Roman to give out sweets and replica shirts to poor children. He also donated £160,000 to help restore five small youth football pitches around where he used to live.
When he was young Sanchez played football on dirty streets. This season he will grace the pitches of Old Trafford, Anfield and, most importantly, the Emirates.
