One of the longer running footballing soap operas finally came to an end on Monday evening with the news that Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez had agreed his move to Manchester United.
The Chilean joined the Old Trafford ranks with Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan heading to north London as part of the deal.
The signing brings to a close one of the more protracted transfer sagas of recent times and represents quite a coup for United as Sanchez’s preferred destination for much of the proceedings was understood to be their cross-town rivals Man City.
Coach Jose Mourinho was inevitably delighted that it was he, and not Pep Guardiola, who got to describe Sanchez’s qualities.
“Alexis is one of the best attacking players in the world and he will complete our very young and talented group of attacking players. He will bring his ambition, drive and personality, qualities that make a Manchester United player and a player that makes the team stronger and the supporters proud of their club dimension and prestige.”
The History
Sanchez’s progress to the status of a truly world-class talent has been rapid.
He began by working his way through the youth ranks at Chilean side Cobreloa, making his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in February 2005. After firing 12 goals in 47 appearances, he was soon to catch the eye of Italian outfit Udinese, who signed him for a fee of £1.7 million in April 2006, immediately loaning him out to another Chilean club, Colo-Colo, in a season-long deal.
Sanchez scored nine goals across 48 league and Copa Libertadores appearances and then spent another year out on loan, at Argentine giants River Plate (producing four goals and three assists) before finally arriving in Europe to begin his Serie A career.
In his first two seasons at Udinese, he played regularly but scored infrequently, serving up eight goals and six assists from 64 league appearances, until his breakthrough campaign of 2010/11 when he formed a prolific partnership with Antonio Di Natale.
Sanchez delivered 12 goals and 10 assists in 31 league outings that year, prompting Barcelona to come knocking with a €26 million offer that made him the first Chilean to play for the Catalan club.
Injuries marred the early part of his three-year stay in La Liga, but key domestic goals against bitter rivals Real Madrid and in the UEFA Champions League helped establish him in Guardiola’s side.
His first two years in Spain delivered 20 goals and 15 assists across 54 league appearances before Sanchez thrived in an attacking trio alongside Lionel Messi and David Villa in 2013/14, returning 19 goals and 12 assists in 34 league matches.
However, the arrival of Neymar Jr at Camp Nou threatened his starting status and a £31.7 million bid was enough to prise him away from Spain and into the Premier League with Arsenal.
Sanchez’s impact at the Emirates was immediate, with the Chilean delivering 16 goals and eight Fantasy Premier League (FPL) assists across 35 league outings in his first term in north London.
A hamstring limited him to 30 appearances in 2015/16, though Sanchez still returned a reasonable 13 goals and five assists. Yet it was last season where he showed his capabilities, finishing as the top scoring player in FPL on 264 points, thanks to 24 goals and 11 assists in 38 league fixtures.
A series of minor injuries and his transparent desire to leave Arsenal have kept him to 19 league appearances this term, but he’s still managed to produce seven goals and five assists.
He also has a record-equalling 119 international caps and a record-breaking 39 goals for Chile, helping his country to back-to-back Copa America triumphs in 2015 and 2016 – the only times Chile have won the competition.
The Prospects
Sanchez is the finished article and represents a major coup for United as they bid to show that they can match the financial muscle of local rivals City.
It’s also an ego-boost for Mourinho as he continues his personal battle with Guardiola; a rivalry the United coach did much to intensify in his time at both Chelsea and, more pertinently, Real Madrid.
But the deal makes perfect footballing sense as well.
When Sanchez signed for Barcelona, Guardiola – alluding to a 4-3-3 – described him as someone who “can play in all three attacking positions, he shows intense defensive skills, he’s direct” – all attributes that Mourinho looks for in his forwards and offensive midfielders.
At cost of 11.7 in Fantasy Premier League and 12.7 in Sky Sports, Sanchez looks set to join Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku as Mourinho’s next “untouchable”, though that duo’s recent goal records underline just why the Red Devils’ boss was forced into the market.
Pogba has netted just three times this term and Lukaku’s threat has badly diminished – after firing seven strikes in the opening seven Gameweeks, the Belgian has scored just four goals in his subsequent 16 league outings.
Indeed, Sanchez’s versatility could even allow Mourinho to occasionally manage Lukaku’s minutes from this point.
The striker has played from start to finish in all but one of his 23 appearances – the one exception was against Southampton in Gameweek 21, when he was forced off with a head knock that caused him to miss the Red Devil’s next league fixture.
It’s more likely that the arrival of Sanchez will impact on United’s attacking midfielders. Certainly Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford appear in danger of slipping down the pecking with Mourinho desperate to add a more consistent source of firepower to his default 4-2-3-1 formation.
Mata has made 17 starts, scoring three goals, while Rashford has found the net on four occasions in more or less the same number of minutes (1,309 to 1,337).
Arguably – for now, at least – the in-form pairing of Jesse Lingard (seven goals and two assists in the last 11 Gameweeks) and Anthony Martial (strikes in each of the last three Gameweeks) warrant their starting berths. So it remains to be seen how Mourinho will restructure his attack to accommodate his big-name recruit.
Looking at his time at Arsenal, it was clear that Sanchez excelled either from a role on the left – cutting inside onto his preferred right foot – or through the middle, as highlighted in his displays in the Gunners’ 3-4-2-1.
But back in April, Arsene Wenger’s comments on Sanchez’s role for the Gunners shed some light on the players’ preference.
“He’s a player who likes to touch the ball a lot. He prefers to play wide than up front. He can get more of the ball. He has to keep the balance between providing and goal scoring.”
Crucially, in his first interview published for his new club on Monday night, Sanchez expressed his versatility, though clearly offered up a preference.
“I really like to play down the left, through the middle… but to tell you the truth, as long as I’m playing football, I’ll fit in anywhere!”
Unless Mourinho immediately shifts Sanchez to an unaccustomed role on the right, it would appear that Martial is destined to shift roles.
He looks likely to be forced to switch flanks, thus competing with Mata and Rashford for minutes on the right. He has played in that position before, making four appearances on the right flank in his debut 2015/16 season.
In spite of his current form, Martial has struggled to cement pitch-time under Mourinho and has started just 13 league matches. His reaction to a potential change of position could now be vital to his prospects.
Although Lingard has started 10 of the last 11 Gameweeks in a central role, he’d never been a regular until then – prior to that point, he had started just one of United’s opening 13 league fixtures.
From a Fantasy perspective, the ideal scenario would be for Lingard – at a cost of just 6.4 in FPL – to remain on the teamsheet, thus offering a cut-price route into United’s attack.
But he will also be vulnerable.
Sanchez is clearly an option in a No 10 role, though again, this is unlikely to be the Chilean’s preference.
If that is the case, Lingard could also be considered for a berth on the right. He started in that position at Everton in Gameweek 22 and, in the 2015/16 campaign, spent the bulk of his 25 appearances as a right-winger. Only last season did Lingard get minutes as a central figure and also out on the left.
Nonetheless, the arrival of Sanchez will heighten the chances of rotation for the likes of Martial and Lingard regardless, given Mourinho’s penchant for freshening up his options in the final third midway through the second-half.
Looking at the season so far, Mata has been withdrawn in 13 of his 17 starts, Martial in 12 of 13 starts, Lingard in nine of 11 and Mkhitaryan in 11 of 11. Mata is normally the first player hooked but, if he loses his starting role, Mourinho will likely turn to Martial and Lingard for his first change.
The other consideration is the potential impact on Pogba.
Certainly, there’s no doubt that the addition of Sanchez will boost an attack that has, on many occasions, flattered to deceive. Although only Man City and Liverpool have scored more than United’s 49 goals for the campaign, the Red Devils rank bottom of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ clubs for goal attempts (347), shots in the box (205) and efforts on target (117).
Should Sanchez pep up the United attack as expected, Mourinho may be more inclined to limit Pogba’s contribution in the final third, concentrating his power and passing in a central midfield role alongside Nemanja Matic, where he can dictate play and set up the attacking players, rather than raid the box.
Penalties are another factor to consider. They could, potentially, add another string to the Sanchez bow and could ultimately decide his fate as an attraction this season.
The Chilean has scored one spot-kick in the league for the Gunners this season and converted two of three in the previous campaign.
United have been awarded two penalties in the league in 2017/18, with Martial converting one and Lukaku missing the other. The current pecking order is unclear, but again, with Mata presumed as the most likely to lose his start, he will be out of the running.
In truth, the arrival of Sanchez poses so many questions surrounding United’s existing Fantasy assets. We can only gain clarity on the situation once we have seen Mourinho first few teamsheets and formations with the Chilean on board.
Our first glimpse could be as soon as this Friday, where United square up to Yeovil Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup – the Chilean played no part in Arsenal’s third round loss at Nottingham Forest.
His Premier League debut will surely come at Spurs in Gameweek 25, though Mourinho’s formation and selection on that day will likely be dictated by his approach to the game and not typical of his regular line-up. United deployed a 3-5-2 against Spurs in October.
In terms of Europe, Sanchez is available to feature in the Champions League, with United’s knockout stage head-to-head against Sevilla getting underway on 21 February – four days before a Gameweek 28 clash with Chelsea.
However, the upcoming league fixtures are at least unattractive enough to warrant us to sit back and adopt a watching brief.
That trip to Spurs are followed by visits from Chelsea and Liverpool in the next six, so we can perhaps afford to steer clear of Sanchez and United’s attacking alternatives. Mourinho’s negative approach to showdowns with top-six rivals could well affect the Chilean’s output and while Lingard’s owners may hold and wait for the dust to settle, the price tag attached to United’s alternative options – including Sanchez – looks to be a deterrent over this period.
Furthermore, Sanchez and United could also be without that Gameweek 28 encounter with Chelsea, should the Blues progress past Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-finals later this week.
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