Arsenal transfer talk: worth a bid for this talented La Liga target?

After publicly denying that he has agreed a move to Inter for the coming summer, Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez is now being linked with a switch to North London. That comes in the wake of comments by his former Sporting Director at Udinese, Fabrizio Larini, who claims that the Chilean would be ideal for Arsenal, but is that really the case? talkSPORT look at what El Niño Maravilla (the boy wonder) could bring to the Arsenal cause, and whether signing him would be worth the effort...

Strengths

1 – Movement
Alexis is known for his unique movement, with his trademark diagonal runs from the wing to the edge of the box useful in creating space for team mates by pulling opposition full-backs out of position, something Pep Guardiola made particularly effective use of against Real Madrid in Clasico match ups last season. Pulling off those runs over and over again is made possible by his excellent stamina, and his work rate is particularly useful in winning the ball back from the opposition high up the pitch.

2 – Skill
In the past the Chilean has proven to be particularly effective in one-on-one situations, combining his skill on the ball with a burst of pace to beat his man. Perhaps the one criticism of him in that regard is that he simply doesn't take on opposition defenders enough, as when he does, he tends to win the battle.

3 – Versatility
In Britain, Alexis would probably be labelled as a winger, but that doesn't really provide an adequate description of his style of play. At Barcelona he has been used in wider positions, but even then, he is rarely tasked with getting to the byline and crossing the ball. As previously mentioned, his movement tends to be of the diagonal variety, and for that reason Pep Guardiola even used him as the focal point of the Barcelona attack on occasion, ahead of Lionel Messi, who was deployed as a deeper number 10. Alexis's tireless energy and unpredictability makes him a useful central forward against opponents determined to shut up shop, as he inevitably pulls defenders out of their zone, something he has done with aplomb against highly rated centre-backs like Pepe and Sergio Ramos. Leading Catalan football writer Marti Perarnau describes him as follows:

“Alexis can play wherever he likes. As such, in many other teams he would be the main focus of play. As a wide forward he brings speed, dribbling and constant energy. As a central forward, he is stubborn, brave and tireless. A striker with the ability of taking on Pepe and Sergio Ramos in the Bernabeu, pulling them side to side without any fear is not just anybody. After trying to beat his marker a million times and running into a wall of defenders, he tries again, to get the better of them, and so on. He is exhausting for opponents in his stubbornness.”

4 – Physicality
Though only 5ft 7in tall, Alexis is built like a wall and is rarely out-muscled by opponents. He is also surprisingly good in the air, though he has only scored two headed goals in his Barca career, which is partly a consequence of their style of play and partly due to him not getting in to suitable positions to attack high balls regularly enough. At a side more inclined to cross the ball, however, he could potentially be a useful target.

5 – Creativity
As exemplified by his assist for Jordi Alba against AC Milan, Alexis is a good low-crosser of the ball, which is particularly useful when playing on the counter-attack, though again, perhaps not best exploited by Barcelona. In 2011/12 he created 30 goal-scoring opportunities in all competitions, with 40 successful crosses into the box. This season he has already created more scoring opportunities, with 32 in all competitions, though he has only completed 24 crosses into the area.

Weaknesses

1 – Injury prone
The Chilean's career at Barcelona has been marred by frequent injuries, particularly in his muscles, meaning he has struggled to tie down a regular place in the FC Barcelona starting line-up. The unfortunate reality of his injury-proneness is that he is unreliable, and can be expected to miss key games each season. That could perhaps be changed with the right training regime, but must come into consideration for any club looking to sign him.

2 – Confidence
Curiously considering the relentlessness with which he attempts to get the better of his opponents, Alexis has suffered from huge confidence issues this season. The pressure of playing at Barcelona, and in particular the pressure created by the notoriously ruthless Barca supporters, appears to be getting to him, and as a result he seems to be using his trickery on the ball less, and relying on sheer pace more often. That makes him more predictable for defenders, and less effective than he should be considering his level of skill.

3 – Finishing
Though never a prolific finisher, Alexis scored 12 goals in his final season at Udinese, and 15 in his first at Barca, including a huge equaliser at the Bernabeu in December 2011, so in recent years he appeared to be developing more of a clinical side to his game. This season however he has been woeful in front of goal, scoring only five goals in all competitions, despite taking 39 shots, and that is a clear consequence of his lack of confidence. The Chilean gets into all the right positions, and isn't scared of taking a pop, but somehow, these days he just cannot apply the correct finishing touch. Any club looking to sign him has to ask if they trust him to be the man to put away a crucial goal in a key tie. If he can recover his faith in his own ability, that may not be a problem, but that is a huge 'if'.

4 – Cost
Barcelona paid around €37m for Alexis, with his contract running until 2016, so there is no way the Catalans will let him go without a serious bid. At 24, he still has time to reach his peak, and Barca took him on as a future investment. With David Villa continuing to age, and the likes of Cristian Tello and Isaac Cuenca still learning, FCB would need to believe that they could reinvest his fee in a suitable replacement in order to let the Chilean leave.

Is it worth it?
Alexis is a unique player who excels in creating space for his team-mates by drawing opposition players out of position, and is capable of playing in multiple areas of the pitch. Arsenal don't have a player like him in their ranks, and as such, would be adding something new to their team, but there are some huge caveats to signing him. Namely, his shakey finishing ability means there are still doubts over whether he will become a key player for a top-level team, while the amount of money he is likely to cost could also be off-putting for the Gunners, particularly considering how injury-prone he is. If Arsenal are genuinely interested in him then perhaps they would be best advised to wait another season, observe how his confidence and fitness improve, then make a move. With one less year on his contract, and the likelihood of Neymar joining Barcelona in 2014, that could be the year to test Barca's nerve.

Arsenal fans, what do you think? Should the Gunners hold off before making a move for Alexis?