Alexis Sanchez has grown into one of the important players at Arsenal and his rise up the ladder has been tremendous. He joined the club in a £ 35 million deal from Barcelona. The presence of more expensive players like Mesut Ozil was expected to be a hindrance.
However, the Chilean has been influential in his own way. Sanchez ended up getting more than 20 goals in his first season at the club. Even though his second season has been slightly muted compared to his first, there is no doubt denying the talent within the 27-year-old.
More than his talent on the ball, manager Arsene Wenger reckons that it was the work rate of the player that impressed him much more. The Frenchman also revealed that he had been watching Sanchez even when he was at Udinese.
From the Italian club, Sanchez managed to secure a high profile move to Barcelona.
However, he was constantly shifted through a number of positions in order to accommodate stars like Neymar and Messi. This ultimately culminated in the player departing the Camp Nou to seek a club where he felt much more important. At Arsenal he has been a sensation, and just one of the reasons that 1st4 Football Tickets.have seen demand for tickets to watch the North London club soar by over 200% since he joined!
Despite being an attacker, Sanchez contributes immensely to the team on the defensive front as well.
On the negative side, the appetite for work rate has drained his energy a number of occasions. "It was playing for Udinese [that I first spotted him]. He was very dynamic, very direct and very straight to the point. He was one of these players where his energy and the intensity of his energy level hits you straight in the face. It is strange because he catches your eye with his energy and level of commitment he puts into everything he does and that is what remained with me," said the Arsenal manager to the club’s official site.