Alexis Sanchez (Getty Images)
According to the Italian website FC Inter News via Sport Witness (h/t The Sun), Premier League side West Ham United have contacted Alexis Sanchez’s agent.
The Manchester United forward is currently on loan at Serie A side Inter Milan but is expected to return to Old Trafford at the end of this season. Sanchez had earlier moved to Old Trafford from rivals Arsenal in a swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the summer of 2018.
His outstanding display of 80 goals and 45 assists in 166 games over a period of four years had seen the Chilean earn himself a move to the Red Devils.
A former Barcelona star, Sanchez’s journey has not been quite the same since arriving at Old Trafford. His career seems to have hit a downward spiral, with the 31-year-old failing to impress at Manchester United and eventually falling down the pecking order.
A lack of chances saw Sanchez receive a move to Italy last summer from his disillusioned parent club. However, nothing seems to have changed for the Chilean international, who has scored just once in the league for Antonio Conte’s side.
This had seen him fall out of favour with the Italian coach, managing just 10 league appearances altogether. To add to that, Sanchez also sustained a tendon injury midway through the season that saw him lose a couple of games.
David Moyes’ Hammers, on the other hand, are in desperate need of a goal-scoring attacker, with their summer signing Sebastien Haller failing to impress.
The Frenchman has not lived up to the expectations since his big-money move from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer. He has scored a mere 7 goals this season and is his side’s top goal-scorer in the league.
This gives a clear idea that the Hammers need a prolific finisher and Sanchez, who has over 200 goals for club and country, seems like a perfect fit.
Also, West Ham have managed a mere 35 goals from their 29 league games this season, which paints a clear picture of the side’s lack of creativity up front. Their highest assist provider has been Robert Snodgrass, who has managed just five so far.
The Hammers were so desperate that they had to sign in-form Hull City attacker Jarrod Bowen in January to ease their sufferings in the attack. However, the club is fighting to avoid relegation and are 16th in the league table.
Predominantly a left-winger, Sanchez is, however, capable of playing anywhere in the attack, something that he has proved over the course of his career. Though Sanchez is not the player he was anymore, he could offer West Ham the much-needed creativity and experience that they lack in the final third.
West Ham’s new signings and current set of attackers have failed miserably this season. Hence, bringing in an experienced campaigner like Sanchez at such a juncture could be really handy for the Hammers. His mere numbers are a testament to his goal-scoring and creative abilities.
Also, Sanchez would be craving for some game time and the London Stadium could be the ideal place. This, in turn, could be helpful for the Hammers, who are not a club who should be fighting relegation.
