Skip to content

Will Alexis Sanchez, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang be eligible to play in Europe?

Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Image: Will Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan be eligible to play in Europe?

Alexis Sanchez is eligible to play in the Champions League after completing his transfer to Manchester United.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also available to play in the Europa League for Arsenal after the swap deal between the two players was concluded.

However, if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was to also move to Arsenal this window, he would not be available to Arsene Wenger to play in the Europa League.

Alexis Sanchez trained with Arsenal on Friday
Image: Sanchez is on the verge of a move to Man Utd

Despite Sanchez already playing in the Europa League for Arsenal this season, rules clear Sanchez to play in the Champions League as it is different to the competition the Gunners are currently a part of.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Take a look back at some of Sanchez's best Arsenal moments

The same rules, therefore, allow Mkhitaryan to compete in the Europa League for Arsenal, despite playing for Manchester United in the Champions League this season.

Manchester United's Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Image: Mkhitaryan could be heading to the Emirates in a swap deal

UEFA rules state that new signings are unavailable if they have played in the same European competition for a different club, or if they have played for a club that are currently in the same European competition as their new club.

This means that Dortmund's future involvement in the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group behind Tottenham and Real Madrid makes Aubameyang ineligible to play for any other club in the competition this season, despite the fact their first Europa League game is next month.

Also See:

Pierre-Emerick of Dortmund is disappointed  during the DFL Supercup 2017 match between Borussia Dortmund  and Bayern Muenchen at Signal Iduna Park on Augus
Image: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Dortmund will not be eligible to play for Arsenal in the Europa League

Arsenal are currently sixth in the Premier League and struggling to keep in touch with the top four, meaning their best chance to qualify for the Champions League next season may be through a Europa League win, just as Manchester United did last term.

Wenger's Arsenal will face FK Osterunds in the round of 32 in the Europa League, while Jose Mourinho's Manchester United have been drawn against Sevilla in the last 16 in the Champions League.

Fantasy Head to Head
Fantasy Head to Head

Challenge a mate in our brand new Fantasy Football head-to-head mode. Play for free!

Around Sky