The furore surrounding Sanchez’ future had become a massive distraction for Arsene Wenger and his squad as the media desperately sought answers regarding his future while the Gunners' on-field performances suffered heavily as they dropped dangerously far behind in the race for the top four.

Many thought Sanchez was a shoe-in to move to Manchester City in the summer, with the champions-elect reportedly prepared to offer in excess of £60 million for the former Barcelona playmaker.

However, Wenger and Arsenal stubbornly resisted any approach for Sanchez, who they felt was irreplaceable at the time, choosing instead to gamble on potentially losing their talisman for far less than he was worth as his contract in north London entered its final months.

Sadly, from an Arsenal point of view, the gamble backfired as Sanchez refused to extend his stay at the Emirates Stadium leaving Wenger with no choice but to let the 29-year-old move on while he still held some value.

Surprisingly, Manchester United swooped and secured the signing ahead of their city rivals as Sanchez became one of the highest paid players in not only the league but the world too.

Speaking recently, Arsene Wenger, who brought Sanchez to England from Barcelona admitted for the first time that refusing to sell Sanchez in the summer was an error in judgment.

During a Q&A session with the clubs executive box holders, Wenger stated that if “he could have his time over” he would have let the Chilean sign for Manchester City on deadline day of the summer window.

Wenger also made an interesting claim with regards to Sanchez’ bumper contract at the Red Devils, suggesting that the fiery Chilean is on a contract worth even more than an eye-watering £600,000 per week. Wenger simply pointed to the ceiling when asked of the worth of Sanchez monumental deal.

While losing Sanchez was a blow, the Gunners ended the window on a massive high, bringing Borussia Dortmund hitman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a club record deal while securing the future of German maestro Mesut Ozil for a further three years.

Arsenal have a mountain to climb if they are to have any hope of regaining their spot in the Champions League, but the certainly have the firepower to climb it.