Why Manchester City Are Better Off Without Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez
It’s the New Year and the rumour mill has already started spinning with reports suggesting runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City are eyeing Arsenal superstar Alexis Sanchez, who earns £140,000-a-week. The 29-year-old is out of contract in the summer and can begin negotiating with foreign clubs over a free transfer now that the window is open, and he seems to have no desire to remain in north London.
Pep Guardiola was interested in signing the Chilean in the summer and it is understood that a conditional agreement was reached in principle between City and Arsenal for the player, only for the deal to break down as the Gunners failed to secure a replacement.
So a January move for Sanchez is considered but do City really need the former Barcelona man?
It is clear Sanchez’s mind is already somewhere else. The player seems unhappy, to say the least. His displays have been lacklustre – barring a few good ones here and there. The inconsistent performances, although he scored a brace in Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Crystal Palace and scored against West Brom last night, show that he is keen to move on from Arsenal as soon as possible.
However, if one looks at Manchester City at the moment, they basically don’t need any more attackers. Guardiola’s squad is filled with a galaxy of attacking talents in the form of Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, David Silva Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus, and the list just goes on. In such a situation, having a superstar like Sanchez would seem surplus to requirements.
Many would argue that Sanchez would be a signing to make the squad more solid as the Chilean is privy to the philosophy of Guardiola, having already played under him at Barcelona. This will be a never-ending debate, where most would feel Sanchez will thrive under the charismatic Spaniard and be the one to take Manchester City to the next level – European dominance.
Truly, the player comes with a passion to win, never give up and the versatility to play anywhere in attack would attract Guardiola and certainly make City a force to reckon with. The Chilean sensation has won almost everything that is there to be won, having lifted 13 trophies with different clubs around the world. So there’s no doubting Sanchez’s quality – with and without the ball.
Sanchez is at his peak and won’t improve from here on. At 29, he can offer a couple of years of quality football for Guardiola but the Spaniard must know his current side is one that has been injected with upcoming superstars of football in the form of Bernardo Silva, Sane, Jesus and Sterling.
Although the experienced world-beater would be a fantastic signing and drastically improve City, it would mean danger to the careers of the aforementioned talents, who are brimming with confidence, seemingly eager to take their game to the next level under Guardiola.
While we have seen very little of the diminutive Bernardo Silva so far, Sane and Sterling have been phenomenal this season, scoring goals and assisting for fun. The two nippy wingers have become indispensable to Guardiola, and Sanchez’s addition would only hamper their chances of further development.
Sanchez could be a big coup for Manchester City and there is no doubt that Guardiola will make every effort to sign him from Arsenal. The forward could add an interesting dimension to their attack but in my opinion, City are well off without the Chilean superstar.
Even if Guardiola tries signing Sanchez in January, it’s not happening, as Arsene Wenger has already admitted that the player is not leaving the club next month. So one has to wait and watch how this story pans out!