Any deal for striker could come at big cost for United
THERE was evidently a lack of self-awareness in the Arsenal merchandising department during their Christmas marketing meetings.
The billboard on Bernwell Road that dwarfs the Thierry Henry statue outside the Emirates Stadium was attracting more admirers than usual in December.
‘Great gifts for Christmas’ it read. The slogan was sandwiched between Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.
“I can think of two managers in Manchester who would agree with this,” wrote an M.E.N. correspondent in London for United’s trip.
The twist is one of the managers is considering Sanchez and Ozil, rather than just fixating on one of Arsenal’s attackers.
Already in this winter transfer win- dow, Mourinho has considered a central midfielder, a winger and now a striker.
United have four strikers but Mourinho is now considering a fox-in-the-box style poacher. It is difficult to tell if United are being incisive or indecisive.
Sanchez, conveniently, can operate from the wing, as a striker or as the playmaker. He is not a poacher in the vein of Filippo Inzaghi or Miroslav Klose but he is, as Mourinho put it himself, ‘one of the best players in the Premier League’ and United would be strengthening their attack while weakening a rival. The Sanchez situation has parallels with Robin van Persie’s five-anda-half years ago in that Arsenal have given up on keeping their prized asset and the Manchester clubs are vying to sign him. Only the interest in Sanchez is not as intense as it was for the Dutchman.
The ‘little boy inside’ spoke to Van Persie and told him to go to Old Trafford rather than the Etihad. Without him, United would not have clinched their 20th title.
Sanchez would not have an identical impact if he chose red over blue – not when City are 15 points clear of United. It is understood Sanchez’s representative, Fernando Felicevich, is demanding a £300,000 weekly wage and a signing-on fee of £25m if the Arsenal No.7 moves this month. Should he leave on a free six months later, the desired reward is said to be £35m. Some senior City insiders are appalled by the demands and adamant the club should not ‘rush’ into a ‘desperate’ deal just because United have come into the reckoning.
The reservation is how comfortable United would be kowtowing to another agent. Raiola and Jorge Mendes have influenced United’s transfer strategy in recent years and Felicevich is mimicking certain players’ transfer-teasing on Twitter just by following United.
The outlook for Felicevich is surely sunny, regardless of where his client moves.
WILL REDS BE COMFORTABLE TO KOWTOW TO YET ANOTHER AGENT? Mourinho is considering a fox-inthe-box style poacher Samuel Luckhurst