Why Alexis Sanchez Is the 1 Arsenal Player Chelsea Would Love to Sign

Jose Mourinho didn't hesitate when he was asked about Alexis Sanchez on Friday.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea's clash with Arsenal this weekend, one journalist was eager to get his view on the Chilean and his form this season.

"He's not my player," was the response from Mourinho, the Chelsea boss quick to explain that he doesn't like talking about those who do not play for him.

That may well be the case, but there's no doubt Mourinho would be just as prompt to sign the cheque if he had the chance to bring Sanchez to Stamford Bridge.

Why wouldn't he?

Sanchez has gone from a £35 million gamble to priceless asset for Arsene Wenger this season.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Indeed, when we think about how the Gunners have put together a late-season surge to usurp Manchester City as Chelsea's main title rivals (if only by name), it's their Chilean they have to thank for it.

Sanchez has been the difference from what we've seen in years past at the Emirates Stadium. Suddenly there's a bit of bite about Arsenal, a little bit of steel to get them out of tricky situations.

He may well come with all the craft Wenger likes to see in his players, yet there is a bulldog spirit about Sanchez that complements his finer talents.

His dogged determination and eye for goal make him a considerable menace—perhaps the biggest threat to Mourinho's unbeaten record against Wenger.

The Chelsea boss hasn't lost in the 12 games he and Wenger have competed—seven wins, five draws—but the Gunners will feel they have an edge this time out with Sanchez in such fine scoring form.

He already has 22 goals in all competitions, including a brace that proved decisive in his team reaching the FA Cup final with a 2-1 defeat of Reading last weekend.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Sanchez doesn't fit that flat-track bully tag that has followed Arsenal, either. He does it against the smaller clubs, sure, although his record in the big games is just as impressive.

There is that winning display in the FA Cup semi-final, while he has notched four decisive goals in games against teams from the Premier League's top six this term.

It's not a bad record, one made all the more impressive when we consider that his goals have directly won Arsenal 11 points in the league.

Take him out of this team and Arsenal would be eighth, battling it out for a Europa League spot.

Sanchez is a man of considerable means; put it all together, he is very much a Mourinho player, just in the wrong shirt colours.

Eden Hazard has been the Premier League's standout player all season, but Sanchez deserves credit for making the debate at least valid regarding who should be listed among the contenders for Player of the Year.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

The 25-year-old wouldn't be a luxury in this Chelsea team either; he would seriously strengthen Mourinho's side, working in tandem with Hazard and Diego Costa.

Sanchez isn't an out-and-out striker. We've seen this term how he has played off Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud at times, sitting deeper to pick up possession and drive at teams.

Like Hazard, that makes him difficult to pick up and, given how Chelsea counter teams on the break, would give them outlets either side of Costa.

Chelsea are far from being a predictable team, yet with Hazard's ability to beat his man so frequently, there is a tendency to play everything through him.

That's fine domestically when teams don't always have the personnel to combat the Belgian, but in Europe, it can be a considerable setback.

Paris Saint-Germain targeted that threat and it made things difficult for Mourinho's talisman. Hazard was severely restricted, his impact controlled by players not only watching his every move but cutting the supply line.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Like the rest of us, Laurent Blanc knew where the danger would come from against Chelsea and countered it.

Without another player like Hazard, Chelsea struggled to get at PSG in the way they have other teams, and it meant they lacked any real cutting edge. Hazard couldn't get into the game, home and away.

That would have been a concern for Mourinho, and it's an area he will no doubt look to combat as he plots his assault on the continent in 2015/16.

If he was given the pick of the Arsenal players Chelsea will face on Sunday, Mourinho would make Sanchez a big part of those plans.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes