After another exhilarating round of World Cup football, it’s time for another break and as expected, transfer news has been the order of the day.
Since Luis Enrique took over from Tata Martino this summer, he has been very active on the transfer market, bringing in Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo to replace the departed Victor Valdes while Gerard Deulofeu, Rafinha and Bojan Krkic have returned from their loan spells. He also delved into the market to sign Croatian maestro, Ivan Rakitic, from Sevilla.
On the other end of the scale, Barcelona offloaded stalwart, Jose Pinto, while the legendary Carles Puyol announced his retirement from the beautiful game. Ex-Gunner, Cesc Fabregas, was also shipped out to Chelsea and with Arsenal having the first option to sign the chap, the Gunners chose not to act.
With FC Barcelona reportedly gunning for the bitey one, Luis Suarez, it is believed that they would want to get their hands on all the funds they can get, and with that in view, Chilean hotshot, Alexis Sanchez, is up for grabs to the highest bidder.
Sanchez joined Barcelona in 2011 for a €26 million fee (plus €11.5m in certain bonuses). He had just come off a great campaign in Udinese and a lot was expected from the forward. Scoring 15 goals and supplying six assists in his first season was a good return but his second season with the club was marred by injuries. Last season, Sanchez was on fire for the Catalonians, blasting in 21 goals with 19 of them scored in the Liga BBVA.
He also had a good World Cup by his standards, scoring two goals against Australia and the host nation, Brazil, but there was heart ache for the lad as he was among the Chileans that missed their crucial spot kicks.
The Telegraph, the Metro, the Express and Goal.com have reported that the Arsenal hierarchy has placed a €40 million bid for the forward (they forgot to add one Euro) and to add some fuel to an already raging inferno, Sanchez’s agent, Fernando Felicevich, has started following Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta on Twitter. Lest I forget, his agent also followed Arsenal’s official Twitter account.
Barca’s director Andoni Zubizarreta has also confirmed several bids for the Chilean star,
“Regarding the future of Alexis Sánchez, there have been offers for the player,” he said.
“But I do not know how it will all end – we are looking for a solution which will be best for everyone.”
Apparently, Liverpool and Juventus are also on the prowl for the forward.
The fans wanted that big-name forward that can play with / for Olivier Giroud and Sanchez clearly fits the ball. I also love the fact that he’s versatile so he can be used on the wings when the need arises. I’m pretty sure that the players and fans alike would be happy to have such a quality addition to the squad. Let’s also bear in mind that other rivals are strengthening as well, so the Gunners shouldn’t be left behind.
The prospect of seeing Alexis and Theo Walcott on the same pitch just sent chills down my spine. I’m wondering how opposition defenders would feel.
I’ll keep you posted as things unfold.
To wet your appetite a bit, here’s a YouTube compilation on his performances last season
Sayonara.
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