Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger has revealed the reason behind Alexis Sanchez settling so quickly in the English Premier League.
a Alexis has played in Italy, in Spain and he moved clubs – that of course helps,a the manager told the Arsenal Magazine. a The second part is that the move is a reward for what he really wanted.
a Alexis had a few options and he chose us because he felt thata s where he wanted to go. Sometimes a player moves somewhere and ita s not the choice that he deeply wanted. In his case, I think he really wanted to join us.
“On the pitch, the player has his needs. I felt that he came into a team that plays in an [attacking] way, where he can express his talent with freedom. It works out well for him. That helps.
a After, another step is that a team welcomes you with the values that you rate, and that in some parts of the team, you can feel at home when you need it sometimes.
a That means there are people inside the squad with a similar culture. For example we have plenty of Spanish-speaking people and I believe that helps to integrate people well.a
It has indeed been a blessing for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger that Alexis has been able to settle in so quickly after making his move from Barcelona in the summer. Any new signing from a different league usually takes time to settle in with the team, the country, the weather, the surroundings and the league itself, but Alexis has hit the ground running and being the difference maker for the most part of Arsenala s season so far.
Indeed, if it wasna t for Alexis, Arsenal wouldna t have been so close to the top 4 fight this season, and would probably be floundering somewhere closer to 10th place. His work rate has been impressive and hea s found the goals when they were most needed. In fact, the amount of work he puts in each game seems to have inspired his teammates too, who have taken it upon themselves to be more responsible, both offensively and defensively. This discipline was particularly evident in the game against Manchester City, when Arsenal beat the defending champions by 2 goals at the Etihad.
Arsenal fans would be hoping that Alexis continues his good form and doesna t get injured any time soon, especially since the business end of the season has arrived, with Champions League games, FA Cup and the Premier League all throwing in tough and important matches.