da brwin： His talent was unquestionable at Udinese; a level of performance that offered him the giant leap forward to Barcelona in 2011. But for everything that we may have seen from Alexis Sanchez in the past, he is far too much of a risk for Premier League clubs this summer.
da dobrowin： There’s no doubt about it: Alexis Sanchez is on the shortlist of the shortlist, one which was compiled by sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta. One of the points, “departures,” acts as preparation for what could be a significant summer for Barcelona. Moving on Alexis is a necessity, coincidently because it weighs in with at least one other point, perhaps two. La Masia products and other incomings via the market will take up first-team spots in areas of clear weakness or lack of production.
The case with Alexis is that the Premier League would be too great a risk for both player and any club to gamble on. The forward is severely down on confidence and is aware of his poor performances through the occasional frustration from those at the Camp Nou.
Tactically, he was everything the club could have wanted. Here was a player who played as a natural centre-forward, yet one could switch to the flanks to keep Lionel Messi in his favoured position. When Barcelona struggle to break teams down through lack of an obvious outlet at centre-forward, Messi could drop deeper and offer Alexis the space to come inside. That hasn’t been the case, and a total of two league goals all season offers plenty of insight into the struggles of the Chilean.
The next move for Alexis has to be one where he can be assured of rediscovering his form. Talk has been of a transfer back to Serie A with Juventus leading the race, and you have to believe that is the safest option currently on the table. Yet even for a figure which is likely to be well short of the €26 million Barcelona paid for him, it’s still very much a risk. How much damage has been done?
The consolation for Juventus is that the player is familiar with the Italian league and, above all, he will be part of a new-look forward line, one which will include Fernando Llorente. As a piece to a puzzle that is yet to take shape, there can be plenty of hope that Alexis will be afforded the attention to detail that he needs to get back on track.
For Premier League clubs, you can understand the draw. Alexis is well short of reaching his peak years, and the prospect of picking up a player who was once so highly thought of will be tempting to many. Liverpool, for one, could be enticed by the possibility of pairing Alexis with Luis Suarez. Tottenham are sure to make a big move, especially at centre-forward, if Champions League football is secured. While for Arsenal, it’s very difficult to look beyond Arsene Wenger picking up a bargain with plenty of upside.
The problem is the time it will take Alexis to adapt. It’s not just him, but the expectation placed on any big name arriving in England can be overwhelming at times. This is a player who hasn’t had a good run of form in almost two years; who’s to say the burden of responsibility won’t continue to cripple him?
Alexis is a quick forward with tricks and technique to be a success. The issue at Barcelona is that he was rarely offered the space to utilise his pace to great effect. When it came down to simple poacher’s goals, his lack of confidence saw him stumble, sometimes literally, at the final hurdle.
What is fortunate about Alexis is that you can feel confident that there is a good player in there waiting for his moment. At 24, he could still arrive in the Premier League via another club on the continent and reclaim the reputation he earned at Udinese. But it’s unlikely to be now. It’s very difficult to imagine the player turning his career around and quickly adapting to the English league at the same time. On paper, Alexis is a good target for Premier League clubs. This summer, however, will come too soon.
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