The 'Silly Season' that is the transfer market has begun to heat up in recent weeks, with Manchester United and Liverpool both making grabs at highly rated, young English players. Arsenal too have been in talks with a few prospects (who they will undoubtedly turn away in favor of a 17-20 year old, unproven prodigy), with Côte D'Ivoire winger Gervinho being the most well known name targeted. Yet there is one man who, undoubtedly, is the most sought after player in Europe at the moment-- Alexis Alejandro Sanchez Sanchez, who unfortunately goes simply by Alexis Sanchez, was viewed a year ago as a player with great skill and promise but not quite the finished product. This season at Udinese, however, Sanchez has become both the fulcrum of, and an integral part within, a potent strike force alongside Antonio Di Natale. Udinese surprised almost all Italian footy pundits by finishing 4th in Serie A this season, snatching the last, coveted Champions League spot that seemed destined to be granted to Lazio. Most credit Udinese's fantastic season to Sanchez's brilliance.
The man in question is one of the most explosive, technically gifted, and intelligent playmakers in world football. He also happens to only be 22 years old, making him a potential superstar for the next decade. Alexis Sanchez is an interesting mix of Andres Iniesta and someone akin to Neymar. He has that uncanny ability to maintain possession of the ball in the most impossible of situations, but can also transfer his ability to keep the ball into goals. Furthermore, his ability to pick out gaps with perfectly weighted passes means he could serve as an attacking midfielder, or possibly even the almost extinct Trequartista (think Francesco Totti in his prime). He is used as a second striker for Udinese at present.
What is the most intriguing aspect of Sanchez's current transfer saga is how differently he could be used at the various clubs currently seeking to add him to their respective rosters. The main five clubs who currently boast both the prestige and the money to secure Sanchez's signature are Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Real Madrid. Should Alexis end up at Barcelona, he certainly will not remove either Iniesta or Xavi from the starting line-up. Undoubtedly, he would serve as replacement for the aging David Villa, or for Pedro should he encounter a slump in the coming campaign. What's interesting about Barcelona is that they picked up a similar player in Ibrahim Affelay not 6 months ago. How they would fit both into their future plans would be a bit of a conundrum for Pep Guardiola et al.
Chelsea desperately needs an attacking midfielder in the wings given Frank Lampard's age, but Sanchez would likely be pushed out wide during the upcoming season. They still lack two explosive wing players, and although Sanchez is not an out-and-out winger, the Blues will likely leave Lampard in the center of the field for one more season (at least). Manchester City would similarly be hesitant to place Sanchez into their attacking midfield position-- but for good reason. David Silva currently holds (and excels in) that role, so Sanchez would either play just underneath Carlos Tevez should he remain in Manchester, or be moved to the left flank. Real Madrid would do similarly; Özil simply cannot be removed from his position, and Ronaldo/Benzema/Adebayor/Higuain... will fill the striking roles.
For Manchester United, though, Sanchez might find himself in the optimal position. United desperately need a creative force in their midfield, especially now that the Ginger Prince Paul Scholes has rode off into the sunset of retirement. An attack of Sanchez/Rooney/Hernandez would terrify any defense, and service from Valencia and Nani could compliment such a trifecta of attacking prowess wonderfully. As a fan of the club, I certainly hope he ends up in the red of Manchester, yet I also wish to see this occur as a fan of the game. It would be a shame to see such a talent shoved out towards the flanks, when he is so crafty and dynamic in the center of the park.
Wherever he does end up, Sanchez will likely be the most expensive move of the summer.
Unless he stays in North East Italy of course. He and Di Natale could yet wreak havoc on Serie A defenses for one more year...
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