Alexis Sanchez to Man Utd: Jose Mourinho making deal of the century that can shift power

The audacious capture of Alexis Sanchez from under the noses of neighbours City could be the latest.

Bringing Denis Law home from his unhappy spell in Italy back in 1962 for a British record transfer fee was the launch pad for their 1960s glory days under Sir Matt Busby; Eric Cantona’s surprise signing from Leeds in 1992 proved the catalyst for their dominance in the 1990s; the arrivals of the youthful Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney within a year of each other paved the way for their ‘Noughties’ domination while Robin Van Persie’s arrival in 2012 ensured Sir Alex Ferguson ended his managerial reign with a 13th Premier League title.

Sanchez has all the qualities to join that pantheon of greats and have a similar impact.

United won’t catch City in the title chase this season but he will ensure they push them all the way and improve their chances of winning the Champions League and FA Cup – he is not cup-tied for either competition. And his arrival is a major statement of intent for next season.

“Is he better than what we’ve got?” is the first question a club asks when contemplating a major signing. With Sanchez, it is simply a no-brainer.

Jose Mourinho has known for some time that while he has a very good team, it lacks a little bit of magic in the final third. They have pace, power and youthful exuberance in abundance in Romelu Luakuu, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard.

Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic are a formidable midfield pairing; they have an excellent defence and arguably the world’s best goalkeeper in David De Gea.

But Sanchez, 29, will bring more goals, more assists and better decision-making in the final third.

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggling to return to his best after his serious knee injury and not the long-term answer up front anyway, Sanchez will ease the burden on Lukaku while his vast experience will have a positive effect on youthful trio Martial, Rashford and Lingard – just like Cantona did with the Class of 92.

The question has been asked why he turned his back on City and a re-union with Pep Guardiola. Maybe it is because he realised he would not have made as big a difference at the Etiihad as he can make at Old Trafford.

His wages are eye-watering but then by swapping Sanchez for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, United have landed a player who in today’s market is probably worth around £100m, effectively for free.

The Chile international’s skill, eye for an opening, versatility and work-rate tick all the boxes for Mourinho. He is the epitome of the kind of player he has always liked in his teams. He can play on the right, on the left, through the middle or in a deeper role off Lukaku, depending on who United are facing.

United do not score enough goals from the number of good positions they create – underlined by their narrow win at Burnley on Saturday as well as the three frustrating draws against Leicester, Burnley and Southampton, they suffered over the Christmas period that effectively ended their title challenge.

Sanchez will improve their conversion rate in the last third and, crucially, he has got the energy and will-to-win Mourinho loves in a player.

If he loses it, he will be the first to try and win it back. He will be the first line of defence. Any manager will tell you, you can’t have enough ’winners’ in your team if you want to be successful.

Lukaku does not get enough credit for the hard work he puts in. He often drifts wide to create opening for team-mates – as he did for Martial’s goal at Turf Moor on Saturday – but Sanchez will do much of that work and allow Lukaku to be on the end of things more and therefore should score even more goals.

Mkhitaryan is a hugely talented player and looks tailor-made for Arsenal. If the Gunners can pair him with his former Borussia Dortmnd team-mate PierreEmerick Aubameyang then it could end up being a turning point for them too.

The downside with Mkhitaryan is that he doesn’t work hard enough when his team do not have the ball. And he proved too wasteful sometimes with possession and his final product. He is a confidence player and that drained out of him after he was criticised for “disappearing from games” by Mourinho. 

That is something Sanchez could never be accused of. But then they are different personalities.

The Armenian looks a classic Arsene Wenger player – great going forward and easy on the eye – but then Arsenal have plenty of those already. A defensive midfielder like Matic, Fernandinho or Ngolo Kante would look to be their priority.

There is no doubt Mouriho will believe he has got the better part of the deal. And most of his managerial peers will agree, however begrudgingly.