The best thing about playing for a big club like Barcelona, is it keeps you in demand for a very long time regardless of your ability. Alexis Sanchez is having one of the worst seasons a forward can have, but that still isn’t keeping Liverpool and Manchester City from hoping to sign him.
Alexis Sanchez, backed by a few good seasons with Udinese and an impressive performance in the World Cup with Chile earned himself a €26 million transfer fee from Italy to Barcelona, and although his first season with the club wasn’t perfect, halted by an injury that kept off the pitch for quite some time, he finished with 15 goals in 41 matches, showing his ability to play both as a winger and a striker.
This season? Nothing is working for Sanchez, who has been moved around on both wings but can’t seem to get it right. His speed and strength still gets him opportunities, but it always looks like he just isn’t focused enough on making the final play. Maybe it’s something in his head, but for a forward, even if he’s a clear winger like Sanchez is this season, to score only 4 goals in 30 matches with the amount of chances he gets every match is very disappointing; the 8 assists don’t help much.
Still, Sanchez is only 24, and no one is talking about a bust just yet. However, for the right amount of money, Barcelona might be willing to let someone else take an expensive chance on him, while they bring up another youth product which they seem to have an endless supply of on the wings, or buy someone else. Sanchez isn’t having a great season, but he’s definitely drawing some interest in the Premier League.
Manchester City have the money and the Barcelona connection going for them through the club’s director of football Txiki Begiristain, which might give them some sort of edge over Liverpool for the player. While Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers might be more suitable for his style and positioning (City don’t really play with a winger), the lure of Champions League football might be an incentive too great to overcome eventually, with Barcelona rumored to be selling for £20 million, if at all.