Arsenal: Five replacements for Alexis Sanchez
By s.a. rose
Alvaro Morata, Real Madrid
The most likely option for Arsenal, given his price tag and lack of playing time under Zinedine Zidane is Alvaro Morata. Morata might prefer to be a star in North London than a bench fixture in Madrid, where he has only played the entire 90 minutes once in his last ten appearances and Wenger is rumored to be making a bid for him this January.
A tall, elegant center forward, Morata is blessed with deceptive speed and excellent technique particularly in the passing department. He would play more of a Number 9 role for Arsenal than Sanchez does in his current role as Arsenal’s center forward.
While Morata – like Lacazette, Julian Draxler, Edinson Cavani – is an endless transfer window target for Arsene Wenger, could this be the transfer window where it happens? The top six clubs in the EPL table are in a dogfight for four spots and while Chelsea likely has one of the spots wrapped up, the remaining three spots will be anyone’s guess as Liverpool and Tottenham have been two of the most impressive clubs this season and no one expects the two Manchester bullies to go away quietly and capitulate their ambitions under managers Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.
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To continue their current streak of Champions League appearances, Arsenal needs to spend on another top forward and especially if Sanchez remains unsigned heading into the last days of the transfer window, we might see Arsene Wenger break the 40,000 pound barrier. For Arsenal fans, most would be pleased to add Morata but hope that he would be a complement to Sanchez and not his replacement.