Gunners Linked With Two South Americans – Why Arsenal Should Choose Barcelona Man Over Fiorentina Star

It must be very hard for many Arsenal fans right now as they see most of their rivals signing some top players and all they have is a bunch of rumours. As an Arsenal fan myself, I can assure you it is very hard. We learned last summer that patience is a virtue and you just cannot write off Arsene Wenger in the transfer market. We thought we were entering the season having just signed Mathieu Flamini and Emiliano Viviano on loan, but on the final day we secured Mesut Ozil for a club record fee. This is proof that Wenger and money can go together very well. 

As with every window, Arsenal have been strongly linked with some world class talent, and many outlets are reporting positives for the Gunners. They have been pursuing Alexis Sanchez ever since Barcelona looked like they were willing to sell him. However, he may not be the only winger that Arsenal have been linked with this summer. The other name to be mentioned is Juan Cuadrado of Fiorentina. The Express have reported that Arsenal could launch a £22 million bid despite Alexis Sanchez being very close to signing.

I don’t for one minute believe that Arsene Wenger will sign Sanchez and Cuadrado, as I am struggling to come to terms with them possibly buying the former. So for me, it is one or other.

This is an argument that is very hard to pick a side on. They possess all the same qualities and in similar doses as well. They are both quick, agile and fantastic with the ball at their feet. They can score and create goals for fun. They can play on the wing or behind the attacker, even as the frontman. So if we can’t tell them apart in terms of physical qualities, we will have to delve deeper.

Their price tag is also very similar as they have both been linked with moves between £30 million and £40 million. Also, with just a year between them in terms of age, any argument regarding why one is better for being younger or older does not have much substance. What does have substance is the experience that both players have. Sanchez has far more experience as he has spent a few seasons in the Champions League with Barcelona. He also has experience in winning silverware which Cuadrado doesn’t really have.

Statisically speaking, Sanchez had a better season than Cuadrado as he recorded more goals and assists in all competitions, although the Chilean did feature in 11 more games than the Colombian. Finally, this has been kind of breakthrough season for Cuadrado in terms of international recognition, whereas Sanchez has been in the spotlight for many seasons now, even going back to his days at Udinese.

Ultimately, I would pick Sanchez over Cuadrado.