The £30million signing from Barcelona is set to make his debut in the Emirates Cup this weekend and, in comparing Sanchez to his former Nou Camp team-mate Neymar, Wenger says the Chilean can become a global star in his own right.
"He’s a good finisher who made a great impression in Italy (with Udinese), I saw him there and he was really outstanding. And then at Barcelona it was a bit more difficult," said Wenger.
"But it’s like you could see with Neymar at Barcelona, because there you have Messi. You see Neymar with Brazil and Neymar with Barcelona and it’s not the same.
"I like the fact he can play left, right, up front and that’s why I went for him. But I took him because he is a player who has the qualities of Walcott, he goes behind the defenders off the ball.
"And with the quality of his runs he can be very important for us. Will he give us an extra dimension? Yes, I think so, and I hope I’m right."