Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein believes that Alexis Sanchez is worthy of comparison with Gunners great Thierry Henry.
Sanchez’s hat-trick in Saturday’s 5-1 win over West Ham took his tally to 11 goals in 14 Premier League appearances for Arsenal since Arsene Wenger switched the Chilean to a central striking role.
The Arsenal manager tried a similar trick with Henry when he arrived in 1999. The Frenchman would go on to become the most feared striker in world football and one of Dein’s greatest signings, quite some feat as the former vice-chairman of the Football Association also played an integral role in the recruitment of Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Cesc Fabregas during a hugely productive partnership with Wenger.
And Dein suggested that Sanchez belongs among the great signings of Wenger’s reign, worthy of comparison with Arsenal’s top scorer of all time.
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“I think you’ve got to say he’s world class,” Dein said. “He’s fantastic. He’s a delight.
When it was put to Dein that Sanchez’s career trajectory was similar to that of Henry the 73-year-old said: “Yeah and certainly he is extraordinarily talent.
“He’s got a great attitude to the game and immense skill. So he’s an exciting player.”
