In the last few weeks, there has been a lot of speculation on the future of Alexis Sanchez after Arsenal missed out on the Champions League spots last season.
Manchester City have been the club that many tabloids are predicting to be his next destination, which stems from his previous experiences under manager Pep Guardiola at Barcelona. Sanchez has been arguably Arsenal’s best player in the last couple of seasons and it is no surprise to see him being linked with a move away. However, would Sanchez guarantee success at Manchester City and how would he fit into Pep Guardiola’s system?
In recent seasons, Manchester City have never struggled to score goals, even under previous managers Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini. Defensively, it has been a complete shambles. The lack of pace at full-back has been a massive weakness which has often cost City’s chances of winning major competitions.
By my standards, last season was a big disappointment despite it being Pep’s first campaign at the club. There were a number of positives, including the rise of players such as Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus, along with the great form from the Belgians Kevin De Bruyne and Vincent Kompany towards the end of the campaign. These were outweighed by the negatives of defensive performances against the likes of Leicester City and Everton, which ultimately ended City’s title chances there and then, as well as the terrible performance in the second leg against Monaco in the last 16 of the Champions League.
What I found from these big losses is that City’s big players often went missing, with the likes of Sergio Aguero and De Bruyne missing key opportunities when it was at a key moment in the game. To fix this problem, we need more of these ‘world class’ players to keep us in the important games. Having Sanchez at the club will be a massive step in the right direction because there won’t be much of an over-reliance on the current big-earners to get the club out of tricky match situations.
Sanchez offers similar attributes to Aguero and would significantly improve City’s attack for the upcoming season. He has the pace, the flair and the guile to go past players with clinical ease, as well as the movement off the ball to find tight spaces to begin quick, decisive counter-attacks.
Alexis is commonly a winger, but can be moved to the striker position or the centre-forward position. This kind of versatility would suit Guardiola’s system as he likes players who are flexible with their positional sense and have the ability to work as a unit.
Many City fans, including myself, would love to see Sanchez play for the club because it would take us to another level and further develop an area which we are making stronger every year. The signing of Bernardo Silva from Monaco is another reason to be excited, as he also possesses similar traits to Sanchez and can play in a number of positions.
Currently, Arsenal are adamant that Alexis will stay at the club despite rumours of him leaving. There is a contract extension on the table for him, but it appears so far that he is looking for pastures new. This transfer saga will last for the majority of the transfer window, only until Alexis has confirmed his stance and what he wants to do with his career.
Even if City don’t get their man, there are still plenty of options in upcoming talent like Ousmane Dembele who have the potential to be one of the world’s best. Next season promises to be a big one for City and their ambitions for the major trophies.
