Alexis Sanchez was far too much for West Ham to handle last Saturday
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits he was unsure whether Alexis Sanchez could play as a striker.
Sanchez has scored 13 goals in 20 games this season in all competitions and was in red-hot form last weekend against West Ham when he netted a hat-trick.
The Chile international has been deployed through the middle for much of this season, with Wenger moving him in from a wider position because his other main striking option - Olivier Giroud - had a late start to the campaign after his Euro 2016 exertions with France.
But Wenger revealed his decision could well have been different after previous efforts to play Sanchez as an out-and-out striker had mixed results.
"I must honestly say I thought many times when I played him last year or two years ago I was wrong," Wenger said ahead of Saturday's clash with Stoke City at the Emirates.
"The few experiences I attempted with him through the middle were not convincing and I remember even in one game (away to Everton in 2014) I changed it at half-time. This year it clicked very early in the season.
Arsene Wenger dismisses speculation that Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez will leave the club next summer if they don't agree new contracts.
"He has developed very well as a centre forward because I think he has found a good mixture between being coming off and going in behind and he has more freedom as well and he takes advantage of his short technique in the middle much more.
Sanchez has been celebrating goals regularly this season
"At the start of the season when he came back and he took advantage of the fact Giroud was not here and not ready so I could give him more games.
Will Alexis Sanchez be lured away from Arsenal by a mega-money move to the Chinese Super League?
"Some times when you have too many people you cannot lost long an experience that is not immediately conclusive because you are under pressure.
"It doesn't work one or two games and you have a top player on the bench you're tempted very early to change it."
Wenger likened the move to Thierry Henry's, with the Frenchman going on to become one of the Premier League's most prolific scorers after starting life as a wide forward.
He added: "I had to persuade Thierry (to move centrally). I don't know if it's my greatest achievement. You see the guy who plays wide can score goals that he can in the centre score even more goals."
@chayil$
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