One of the main talking points from this summer’s transfer window was the future of Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez. He was linked with a move away from the club all the way up until Deadline Day when his proposed move to Manchester City did not go ahead due to Arsenal’s failure to sign AS Monaco forward Thomas Lemar. However, we may not have heard the end of this transfer saga just yet.
There has been increased speculation since the transfer window slammed shut last week that Sanchez could still move to the Etihad Stadium in January for a fee as low as just £20 million. Due to the fact he is in the last year of his contract, he is free to talk to clubs in January regarding making a move next summer, but the 28-year-old could still move midway through the season. This speculation will frustrate Arsenal supporters further as they could have received £60 million for the forward last week which arguably would have been a good deal given the circumstances.
We take a look at whether Manchester City should go back in for Sanchez in the January transfer window.
Do City really need additional attacking reinforcements?
One of the main questions that City supporters will be asking is if the 28-year-old is really needed given the array of attacking talent already present at the club. The likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus and so on are all high quality attacking options available to Pep Guardiola. It would therefore not be a surprise if Sanchez was not included in the starting line-up every week if he was not at the very top of his game.
However, there has been speculation about Aguero’s future at the Etihad Stadium for a significant amount of time now, and if he was to leave the club in the near future, it would leave a void that Sanchez could then fill. There is no doubt that when Sanchez is at his best, he would get in any Premier League team. However, he can go through spells during the season when it is not quite going his way. Due to the fact he is the main man at Arsenal, it makes it very difficult for Arsene Wenger to opt against including him in the starting line-up but this is not a problem that Guardiola would be faced with.
Does Sanchez have a good attitude?
There have been many questions raised about the 28-year-old’s attitude in recent times, including in the 4-0 defeat to Liverpool that took place before the international break. His body language at times can come across very badly, and he often appears to be frustrated by the performances of his team mates around him. It will be interesting to see if this changes in the next few months now that he will remain at Arsenal until January or whether he will continue to appear frustrated that he did not get a move away from the club.
The way Sanchez has acted while in an Arsenal shirt in the early stages of the campaign makes it even more bizarre that the Gunners were unwilling to sell. If Sanchez does eventually get a move to City, his attitude is likely to change significantly as he would be looking to impress at his new club. It will certainly be interesting to see how this situation develops in the coming months.
