Could City really swap Sterling for Sanchez

The Alexis-Sterling saga has been raging on for quite some time now and with only a couple of days remaining in the current transfer window, it is now or never for Manchester City to make a move. Having made a number of bids for Sanchez in the course of the summer and seen all of them rejected, Man City believes they can finally entice Arsenal to trade one of their players with a cash offer of £50 million. Though a cool sum of money is laid down on the table for potential acceptance, the question arises on how Arsenal fans are to take to this deal.

Man City expressed their admiration for Alexis Sanchez since the end of the 2016/2017 season which is also been propagated among many football betting circles. Sanchez's stats for the past season are quite remarkable; he scored 24 goals in 38 premier league appearances and 15 of those account for in away matches. It is evident that Sanchez will be a quality addition to the Manchester City squad if he does indeed join the squad.

Given his remarkable performance, it is not difficult to see why Arsenal is adamant of not parting with their most prized possession. Sanchez’s contract however expires at the end of the 2017/2018 season which means that  Arsenal is at risk of losing the diminutive Chilean for free. Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, reiterated that he would rather have this happen as opposed to  selling the player. He further added that that he sees more value in keeping Sanchez on until the expiration of his contract. Many fans share the same sentiments who see a swap deal for Sterling as an unappealing concept.

Sterling is considered a great player, and according to most not as world class, something which Sanchez can be arguably referred to. Even with a chunk of money offered in the swap deal, many Arsenal fans believe that it may be hard to buy a decent player with just a few days left in the summer transfer window. The idea of the potential trade is seen by most as a little too late to materialise at this stage.  

Over the years Arsenal has bought solid players with Sterling as one such example. Sterling's biggest strength is his ability to run at defences using his pace to go behind. Though such abilities are important in modern day football, as it stands, Arsenal just has too many players with who possess the same skills. Players like Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi are perfect examples in this case, however, it seems that they are battling to break into the first 11. Wenger is known to be attracted to young talent and with the rise of academy players with a similar set of skills like Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Nketiah, the prospect of Sterling coming to the Emirates does not seem that appealing.

If the club sanctions the move, some will be soothed by the fact that Sterling has made a good start to the new season; something that cannot be said about Arsenal nor most of their players. With Arsenal experiencing a dip in confidence, it will do a world of wonders if they can acquire a player who can lift the spirit and mood. Sterling may not fit the ideal profile Arsenal fans have been yearning for, but if the on boarding does materialise, we have loads of interesting matches to look forward to. Arsenal’s new 3-4-3 formation may just be perfect for Sterling where he would be placed in the left wing back position; a spot that has been problematic for Arsenal this season.