Arsene Wenger says he wanted to sign Alexis Sanchez ever since he first saw him play with Udinese, when the forward's energy level hit the Arsenal manager "straight in the face."
Wenger finally got his man when he bought Sanchez from Barcelona in 2014 -- after the Spanish club had brought Luis Suarez from Liverpool -- but said in comments posted on Arsenal's Soundcloud account that the Chile international was "always in my mind" since his previous spell in Italy.
Asked about his impression from when he first watched Sanchez play, Wenger said: "He was very dynamic, very direct and very straight to the point. He was one of these kinds of players where the energy and the intensity of his energy level hits you straight in the face.
"It's strange, because he catches your eye Sanchez, with his level of energy and the commitment he puts into everything he does. And that's what remained with me."
Sanchez was Arsenal's top scorer in his first campaign at the Emirates, but missed two months with a hamstring injury this season before making his return in the 1-0 loss to Chelsea on Sunday -- a result which benefitted the Gunners' Premier League title rivals Leicester and Manchester City.
While Sanchez hit the ground running at Arsenal, quickly becoming the focal point of the attack, Wenger said he thought the Chilean struggled to adapt when he first joined Barcelona.
"When he went to Barcelona I found him a bit timid at the start, and slowly he became Alexis Sanchez himself again," Wenger said. "I felt that at the start he wanted so much to adapt to the Barcelona game that he couldn't express himself as much, and then slowly got into that again.
"I saw him as well with Chile against France in Marseille where I was impressed by him. I had him always in my mind."
When he finally got to work with Sanchez at Arsenal, Wenger was struck by the Chilean's energy levels again, saying: "I think his enthusiasm is absolutely amazing and his desire, and the fact he fears nothing."
But managing Sanchez isn't always easy, with Wenger struggling at times to rein in a player who wants to be on the pitch every minute of every game.
The Arsenal manager was heavily criticised for starting Sanchez against Norwich in November when he sustained his injury, despite Wenger having admitted before the game that it would be a "gamble" for the Chilean to play.
"It's easy and difficult," he added. "It's easy because he's always positive. And difficult because when he needs to be rested you cannot rest him."