Alexis Sanchez proving to be Arsenal's answer upfront

When Arsene Wenger bid £40 million plus £1 for Luis Suarez in the summer of 2013, it incited a lot of ridicule and jokes from everywhere. However, the Frenchman was definitely serious in his bid to land the Uruguayan to bolster Arsenal’s attacking options. As harsh as the critics have been on Olivier Giroud, it was no secret that Wenger felt an upgrade was required. And it would only be one year later when Wenger would seal the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona for £35 million, a player who was the next best alternative to Suarez.

And four months into the latest season, it is fair to say that Sanchez has officially settled as a striker for Arsenal. At the time of writing, Sanchez has 14 goals and 8 assists in 21 games in all competitions -- a total goal contribution of 22.

It’s not a purple patch either as Sanchez has virtually been in form for the majority of the season, always involved in the buildup, yet also able to put the ball in the back of the net with the coolest of finishes. Like Suarez and a certain Thierry Henry, he is also creating chances and assists for others, with his false nine role terrorizing the defenses.

It is also understandable why Arsenal have been better with Sanchez up front this season. His frenetic pace and understanding with the likes of Alex Iwobi, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott have meant that Arsenal have finished off their opponents with exhilarating speed this season. This is highlighted by how despite his scoring antics, Sanchez dropping deep doesn’t leave Arsenal without an outlet as his teammates are more than capable of providing a threat, Ozil especially this season.

No longer are Arsenal depending on the age-old strategies such as Giroud's layoffs, slow build-up and working the ball into the box. Now, it’s one touch, pass and go football -- which is also helping Arsenal counter devastatingly this season, as seen by Ozil’s goal in the Gunners’ 3-0 demolition of Chelsea, assisted by Sanchez.

Other than all this, the simple fact is that Sanchez is a better pure striker than Giroud, with more qualities such as being able to run in behind the defense, press defenders into making mistakes and superior finishing, as highlighted by the audacity of his chipped goals against the likes of Chelsea and West Ham. Sanchez is also just 10 goals behind Giroud’s best-ever season tally for Arsenal with 24, and with more than 25 games left in the season, it is hard not to see him get better of that total. 

Many pundits have predicted that Arsenal need a world-class striker to finally end their 13-year drought to win the Premier League. They came close with Giroud at times, but with the Frenchman now resigned to being (an excellent) squad player, Arsene Wenger has three good strikers now along with the impending return of Welbeck looming in.