Davinson Sanchez is reportedly surplus to requirements at Tottenham. The Hard Tackle lists three potential destinations for the Colombian centre-back.
It is the summer of 2017. Neymar’s shock move has completely transformed the transfer market, with values going through the roof. As a result, many-a-crazy transfers are completed before the window slams shut. One such deal sees Tottenham break their transfer record to sign Davinson Sanchez from Ajax.
Aged just 21 at the time, the Colombian was rated quite highly and tracked by a number of Europe’s elite before Spurs manage to secure his services. A reported £42 million fee is still quite an outlay for a player who was still relatively unproven on the biggest of stages. Three years on, it is hard to say that Sanchez has repaid the huge sum that was shelled out on him, through his performances.
Only in his maiden campaign with Tottenham did the 24-year-old manage to rake in over 40 appearances across all competitions. Since then, a myriad of factors have contributed to him failing to be an ever-present figure in the north Londoners’ backline.
At the onset of the 2020/21 season, it looks like Sanchez’s time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be nigh on ending. The Colombian international last featured for Spurs towards the end of October and has been omitted from the matchday squad in three of the last four games, with Joe Rodon seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order.
The latest reports suggest that Sanchez is now deemed surplus to requirement at Tottenham, with a sale being mooted in order to raise funds which will, in turn, be focused towards bolstering the squad. Rumour has it that Jose Mourinho does not really rate Sanchez all too high.
Therefore, it seems like Sanchez is on the cusp on ending his time with the Premier League giants. But, where will his career take him next? The Hard takes a look at three potential destinations for Davinson Sanchez over a future move.
Barcelona
Barcelona were one of several clubs that had been eager to sign Sanchez after monitoring him at Ajax over the course of the 2016/17 season. Of course, the move did not materialise in the end, but the Blaugrana remain in the hunt for a centre-back to this day. That is why it might not be a big surprise to see them reigniting their interest in Davinson Sanchez.
Samuel Umtiti has fizzled out dramatically after a strong start to life at Camp Nou, with a spate of injuries rendering him to be an unreliable figure. Add to it the fact that Gerard Pique is on the wrong side of 30 and has been forced to the sidelines after sustaining a horrific knee injury and it is clear that Barcelona desperately need a central defender, if not two.
As things stand, Clement Lenglet and Ronald Araujo are the only recognised centre-backs at the disposal of Ronald Koeman, with Frenkie de Jong likely to be used as a makeshift central defender for the foreseeable future. Eric Garcia is Barcelona’s priority, that much has been obvious for some time now.
However, a January move might be a tad bit tedious to pull off. As a result, Barcelona have been linked with a number of centre-backs for a winter acquisition, with names like Shkodran Mustafi, Federico Fazio, Antonio Rudiger, Joel Matip and German Pezzella being thrown up.
However, instead of falling in the short-term trap once again, Barcelona would be best advised to make a move for a player who could make an immediate impact while also being a long-term option for the club. His previous Ajax connection also makes Sanchez a possible target and his pace would make the Colombian the perfect complement for Clement Lenglet. A move that Barcelona should and could make.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid are in a similar boat to rivals Barcelona. In the present scenario, Raphael Varane is the only centre-back whose future at the Santiago Bernabeu has any semblance of security, with Sergio Ramos, Eder Militao and Nacho all unsure of still being at the club by the time the 2021/22 season begins.
The big concern for Zinedine Zidane right now will be securing the future of Ramos, who is no closer to signing a new deal with Real Madrid and has been linked with a move to PSG. Nacho, too, appears to be on his last legs as a Real Madrid player and will only be a backup option anyway, if he stays at the club. Meanwhile, Militao has not quite managed to convince Zidane and is currently a squad option.
As a result, it is clear that Real Madrid will invariably enter the market for a centre-back, with reports suggesting that they will target a central defensive addition irrespective of what Ramos decides over his future. To that end, someone like Sanchez is a player worth following for the Merengues.
As the recent game against Villarreal showed, Varane is starting to take more responsibilities at the back and is gradually becoming a fine defensive leader. If the torch is passed on to the Frenchman, the pacy Sanchez would be the perfect complement for Varane at the heart of the Real Madrid defence, paving the way for long-term stability. An intriguing move to make for Los Blancos.
Bayern Munich
This is perhaps, a bit of a left-of-centre option. However, with Bayern Munich likely to be in the market for a centre-back soon enough, Sanchez would come off as an economical option for them to consider, compared to someone like a Dayot Upamecano. Not to mention, the reigning Bundesliga champions could yet be forced to sign two, if not one central defender.
Jerome Boateng is in the final year of his deal with Bayern Munich is widely believed to be part ways with the club next summer, with Tottenham coincidentally one of the clubs linked with him. The matters are not helped by David Alaba’s uneasy situation at the Allianz Arena.
The Austrian international, also in the final year of his current contract, is currently at odds with Bayern Munich over a new deal, with some of the biggest clubs in the world keenly following his situation. Meanwhile, it has been recently revealed that Niklas Sule harbours a dream of playing for Manchester United.
All that means that Bayern Munich are in a perilous situation as far as the state of the heart of their defence is concerned. So, making a move for Sanchez, whose valuation must be a fraction of Upamecano’s, would be a shrewd investment on the part of Die Roten, who were also once in pursuit of the Colombian. An interesting proposition.