Alexis Sanchez will be a hot property on the transfer market and should have his pick of clubs – depending on who can pay his wages and match his demands on the playing front.
The 28-year-old stated last week on international duty that he is settled in London and would like to stay put in one city for a long time, after hopping around from Italy to Spain to England in the last few years.
If he’s going to stay in the Premier League, then it’s likely Chelsea would be his next port of call, even though Arsenal are set against selling to a domestic rival. Therefore, it’s more likely that he will move return to Spain or Italy.
However, let's consider the possibilities if the Chilean champion does stay in England. If we rule out Alexis staying at Arsenal – and the latest indications are that he is refusing to sign a new deal – then his Premier League options are narrow, Arsenal’s intentions notwithstanding.
If he wants to remain in London for a long time that would eliminate Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United from the running, although both have been credited with interest.
It would naturally leave Chelsea as clear front-runners for his signature in a move that is expected to cost as much as £55 million - according to the latest reports – for a player whose contract expires in 2018.
But there is another, more intriguing option. It would be bold, it would be controversial – it might even be unthinkable - but Alexis Sanchez should ditch Arsenal for Tottenham.
While the attraction of Chelsea is obvious – joining the title-winners elect, working with Antonio Conte, having any wage demands satisfied at a stroke – a move across north London to Spurs could be equally fruitful.
In any reasonably foreseeable circumstance, Arsenal would rather Alexis rot than play for Spurs. But Arsene Wenger has sold players who have gone on to win titles at Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City instead of losing them for free at the end of their contracts. He is a businessman first.
Then there’s the wages. Alexis is looking for an upgrade on his salary one way or another but even his current £130,000 pay packet should put him out of reach of Spurs.
Daniel Levy – the man in charge of the purse strings – has only sanctioned contracts worth more than £100,000 a week very, very recently and those were contracts for his captain Hugo Lloris and prize asset Harry Kane. It is difficult to imagine another striker coming in and commanding at a stroke more money than Kane. It would not sit well in the dressing room.
However, Spurs are a growing force. They are currently playing big-boy football on what amounts to pocket money. Their wage bill is eclipsed by their top-six rivals in the Premier League and there is a feeling that in order to stay on top - at home and in the Champions League - they are going to have to loosen their pay restrictions.
Last summer proved that there is significant risk attached to buying players from the second tier – especially for a club of Spurs’s ambitions. Vincent Janssen, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Moussa Sissoko have hardly set the world alight and the step up in quality for those three in particular has proven too high.
The 28-year-old stated last week on international duty that he is settled in London and would like to stay put in one city for a long time, after hopping around from Italy to Spain to England in the last few years.
If he’s going to stay in the Premier League, then it’s likely Chelsea would be his next port of call, even though Arsenal are set against selling to a domestic rival. Therefore, it’s more likely that he will move return to Spain or Italy.
However, let's consider the possibilities if the Chilean champion does stay in England. If we rule out Alexis staying at Arsenal – and the latest indications are that he is refusing to sign a new deal – then his Premier League options are narrow, Arsenal’s intentions notwithstanding.
If he wants to remain in London for a long time that would eliminate Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United from the running, although both have been credited with interest.
It would naturally leave Chelsea as clear front-runners for his signature in a move that is expected to cost as much as £55 million - according to the latest reports – for a player whose contract expires in 2018.
But there is another, more intriguing option. It would be bold, it would be controversial – it might even be unthinkable - but Alexis Sanchez should ditch Arsenal for Tottenham.
While the attraction of Chelsea is obvious – joining the title-winners elect, working with Antonio Conte, having any wage demands satisfied at a stroke – a move across north London to Spurs could be equally fruitful.
In any reasonably foreseeable circumstance, Arsenal would rather Alexis rot than play for Spurs. But Arsene Wenger has sold players who have gone on to win titles at Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City instead of losing them for free at the end of their contracts. He is a businessman first.
Then there’s the wages. Alexis is looking for an upgrade on his salary one way or another but even his current £130,000 pay packet should put him out of reach of Spurs.
Daniel Levy – the man in charge of the purse strings – has only sanctioned contracts worth more than £100,000 a week very, very recently and those were contracts for his captain Hugo Lloris and prize asset Harry Kane. It is difficult to imagine another striker coming in and commanding at a stroke more money than Kane. It would not sit well in the dressing room.
However, Spurs are a growing force. They are currently playing big-boy football on what amounts to pocket money. Their wage bill is eclipsed by their top-six rivals in the Premier League and there is a feeling that in order to stay on top - at home and in the Champions League - they are going to have to loosen their pay restrictions.
Last summer proved that there is significant risk attached to buying players from the second tier – especially for a club of Spurs’s ambitions. Vincent Janssen, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Moussa Sissoko have hardly set the world alight and the step up in quality for those three in particular has proven too high.
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