Losing Alexis Sanchez won’t hurt Manchester City’s title challenge, but it is a blow to its ambition.
The Chilean finally ended his eight-month transfer saga after snubbing Manchester City to sign for Manchester United in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
For months, Sanchez was supposed to head 5 miles across A56 to United’s noisy neighbour. For months, City has pursued the Chilean. For months, City has thought having Sanchez playing in Etihad was just a matter of time, only to back down after failing to accept the latter’s personal terms.
United never got out of second gear. The team entered the race late but was the one who crossed the finish line. Meanwhile, City has no one to blame but itself for failing to deliver its primary target.
Sanchez leaving Arsenal, regardless of his destination, is a win-win deal for all parties. Arsenal avoids losing the disgruntled superstar for nothing and the 29-year-old will play for a club whose ambition is big enough to win major trophies.
Arsenal is happy to let Sanchez go in exchange for either Mkhitaryan or 45 million pounds. The issue became the Manchester derby on the negotiation table, which City will regret its decision to back down.
Sanchez will earn 350,000 pounds per week at United over a four-and-half-year contract. United is lucky enough to have Mkhitaryan, who earns 200,000 pounds, as a part of the deal to reduce the net spending, but the Armenian definitely wasn’t the key of this spectacular hijack.
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In a football world which Liverpool pays 75 million pounds for Virgil Van Dijk and two teenagers worth 295 million pounds combined, the matter becomes who wants it more. United was willing to give Sanchez what he wants, while City wasn’t.
City can justify its decision that United has an edge over the deal with another high-earning player. However, the team has Yaya Toure, who earns 220,000 pounds a week, is all but leaving Etihad by summer. If Paris St. Germain can afford having the two most expensive players on the squad in the search for continental success, City can put up with overpaying for the next four months.
Although City is cruising to the Premier League title, the team has a remarkably thin roster. Benjamin Mendy, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus’s long-term injury left City with only 17 available outfield players after the arrival of Aymeric Laporte. City is fortunate enough to avoid any more long-term injuries to stick with its winning formula, but every additional option will be appreciated.
Pep Guardiola has indicated he wants a reunion with Sanchez. After all, the 29-year-old is the most all-rounded player who just enters his prime. His versatility is what Guardiola will greatly miss, as the Chilean can operate in left, central and right sides.
Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero can be City’s three spearheads, but they are too one-dimensional to rotate between positions. The late emerging target Riyad Mahrez isn’t better than a rotational option. With Bernardo Silva still struggling to adapt to Guardiola’s system, Sanchez would have been a perfect candidate to provide cover that City will never have.
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Although City is all but secure the league title, having a thin roster will be the team’s Achilles going to Champions League. An elite club won’t lose a primary target only because of his personal demands, and City will regret losing Sanchez to its fierce rival.