Wenger - Why Alexis settled so quickly

Arsene Wenger has pinpointed the reasons why Alexis Sanchez has settled so quickly at Arsenal.

The Chile international has enjoyed a majestic start to his Gunners career, scoring 18 times in all competitions so far this season.

Alexis moved from Udinese to Barcelona in 2011, an experience which Wenger believes helped him enjoy a seamless transition in London.

“Alexis has played in Italy, in Spain and he moved clubs - that of course helps,” the manager told the Arsenal Magazine. “The second part is that the move is a reward for what he really wanted.

“Alexis had a few options and he chose us because he felt that’s where he wanted to go. Sometimes a player moves somewhere and it’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.

“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.

“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.”