The transfer window is in full swing and recent reports have emerged suggesting the possibility of a swap deal between Arsenal and Manchester City for their key forwards Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero. Swap deals involving world class players are not very common in football, especially when they play in the relatively the same position for their respective clubs.
However, there are circumstances in this case that has set Premier League fans buzzing at the prospect. Could it really happen? We look at the pros and cons for each party involved.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola has been at the club only 12 months but he has already overseen a rebuilding process that needed the board to install a revolving door at the Etihad capable of spinning at high speeds. Such was the scale of the clearout and wholesale buying of players that City spent upward of £174.2m in 2016.
Yet, in spite of showing plenty of ambition in the transfer market (well, in City’s case it was probably just a shrug of the shoulders as they took out their stuffed wallets), Guardiola only managed to finish the season third in the Premier League – a full 15 points behind champions Chelsea. The Catalan boss also finished a season without a trophy for the first time in his career.
No wonder then that he’s looking for a player capable of adding to his goal tally and willing to work according to his blueprint. Initially, Sergio Aguero’s work rate wasn’t working out for Guardiola and it was only Gabriel Jesus’ fractured metatarsal that saw Aguero back in the reckoning, otherwise putting on a puzzled expression as he watched the game go by from the safe confines of the bench.
When Guardiola had brought Alexis to Barcelona because he loved his ability to play across all three attacking positions and his “intense defensive skills”. Anyone who has seen Alexis play in the Premier League will attest to that as he can play either as a striker or wide forward capable of tracking back and dropping deep to help his team off the ball.
He prefers his strikers to be the first line of defence, pressing high and winning the ball back before opponents can even start a move; not something Aguero is used to doing even though he did try to adapt.
Guardiola’s ultimate dream is to have a number of midfielders switching positions and, with Alexis, he has the ideal candidate who can dove-tail with Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane and David Silva – i.e. if he plans to play him as a centre-forward.
Signing him to play on the flank does not make sense as Guardiola already has Raheem Sterling, Sane and now Bernardo Silva.
Arsenal
30 goals a season (in all competitions) are what Arsenal will be losing if Alexis Sanchez leaves the club. But with a year left on his contract and no Champions League carrot to dangle in front of him, they may not have much going for them in contract renewal negotiations.
Of course, they would rather sell Alexis abroad. Fans have still not forgiven the club after the Gunners allowed Robin van Persie to join Manchester United. Those wounds are yet to heal and losing another world class player to an arch-rival would only bring the club back to square one.
But the club are desperately in need of a world class striker since the Dutchman’s departure. And Aguero would actually be perfect. It would have seemed outlandish in the past to suggest that a club like Arsenal could buy a rival club’s biggest star but with the Alexis trump card, it is a distinct possibility.
Alexis was the first real player who really could replace Van Persie and he proved it this season by benching Olivier Giroud and leading the line. No other player has scored 30 goals in a season since Van Persie in 2011/12. Aguero could be that player. He has won the Premier League Golden Boot in the past after all.
Considering he is only six months older than Alexis, Arsenal would be getting a lethal goalscorer who has proved himself in the Premier League and is capable of leading the line in either the 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation that Wenger picks. He would definitely be an upgrade on Giroud, though. The Frenchman has his strengths but his capabilities are limited – which makes Giroud a perfect Plan B for Arsenal.
But will they be able to afford his astronomical wages? And will he get a long-term contract considering he is just shy of 30?
Alexis Sanchez
“I came here to win trophies, to be competing in the Champions League semi-finals and to win the Premier League, and I feel disappointed.” – Alexis
Feeling disappointed at the end of the season has been the eternal life cycle of an Arsenal fan. Apart from the FA Cup wins, Gunners fans have resigned themselves to the fact that the club will always be a long way from competing for the Premier League title they last won in 2003/04.
The transfers of Mesut Ozil and Alexis gave them hope that other top quality players would follow them but that has sadly not been the case. Flashes of brilliance from existing players have convinced Arsene Wenger that his transfer strategy is sound but it’s far from the case as the same failings are seen every season.
Having experienced a culture of winning at the Camp Nou where failure to win titles meant a lot of introspection, Alexis finds himself in an atmosphere where even finishing second-best (in 2015/16) was seen as ‘progress’ rather than a missed opportunity.
It would not be the case under Guardiola. Just finishing in the top four was seen as a failure (as it should have been) at City while at Arsenal that is the ultimate aim when the season eventually goes down the drain in February-March.
At City, Alexis would have the opportunity to actually compete for league titles and go further than the Round of 16 in the Champions League. Under Wenger, that seems like nothing more than a distant dream.
Also read: What should Arsenal and Arsene Wenger do with Alexis Sanchez?
Sergio Aguero
For a player like Sergio Aguero, a move from Manchester City to Arsenal would be a double-edged sword. While it would give him the chance to continue his career in England, it would resemble a fall from grace at a club where he scored arguably their most important goal in history.
But Aguero knows the existing status quo at the club. He is no longer first-choice and Guardiola’s reluctance to play the highly-mobile Gabriel Jesus instead of a pure no.9 proves that the Argentine striker may not be in the starting lineup much longer.
This is a World Cup year and Aguero needs all the game time he can get if he is to start for Argentina as well – a team that has stiff competition with the likes of Juventus' Gonzalo Higuain and Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi.
The only stumbling block is the lack of Champions League. Can Aguero trust Wenger to lead Arsenal back to the Champions League in one season? The Premier League will only get tougher while the Europa League campaign is long and arduous – highly improbable without squad depth in each position.
City are also in the same boat as Arsenal – they would not want to strengthen a domestic rival. But if Aguero is keen on the move, Arsenal would be worth a risk unless a bigger club comes in with a higher bid and can offer him Champions League (a competition Aguero has stated he wants to win before possibly finishing his career back in Argentina).
Verdict?
Ultimately, this deal could hinge on two parties – Arsenal and Sergio Aguero. Guardiola has never made a secret of his admiration for Alexis, even claiming that he was “one step below Lionel Messi” after his exploits this season.
Alexis, too, has fanned the flames by claiming at the Confederations Cup that he was not moving to Bayern Munich despite Chile teammate Arturo Vidal’s public approval. That suggests that a move to Manchester City could be on the cards as Juventus had also reportedly pulled out citing the huge price tag Arsenal put on him.
No club has shown a concrete interest in Aguero either. Paris Saint-Germain were reportedly keen but with Edinson Cavani at the club, Aguero is not assured of playing in his favoured position.
On paper, this looks like a deal that could work for all parties if Aguero is not discouraged by the prospect of playing in the Europa League. But Aguero's wages and Wenger's disinclination towards signing players approaching their 30s may see the plan shelved (even though he broke tradition on the field by finally abandoning a back-four).
Don’t bet on this deal taking place.
