Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Michael Carrick Rumours, Alexis Sanchez Happy

Arsenal will reportedly have to fight off competition from the Chinese Super League and Newcastle United if they're to land Manchester United veteran Michael Carrick, who is out of contract at the end of the season. Elsewhere, Gunners talisman Alexis Sanchez has revealed he is delighted to be at the club ahead of a titanic tussle with his former side.

According to John Richardson of the Daily Express, the Gunners, Magpies and Chinese outfits are keen on the England international. Carrick has struggled for regular football under Louis van Gaal this season, but Richardson stated Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is a "confirmed admirer” of the player.

Now 34 years old, Carrick definitely wouldn’t be one for the future for Arsenal. However, it’s easy to see why Wenger would potentially be keen on a player of his style.

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Indeed, Carrick is a wonderful passer of the ball and a composed head in the middle of the park. In frantic games United have long relied upon him to keep possession with his range of passing, while his ability to sniff out danger and make tackles is also underrated.

Even so, he’s not a player who’d bring anything new to the Arsenal squad. Indeed, Bleacher Report’s Arsenal correspondent James McNicholas doesn’t feel as though a pursuit of the England man is really needed for the Gunners:

Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla are similar kinds of players to the United man, in that they’re expert distributors at the base of the midfield, however, without Francis Coquelin, they do lack bite in central areas.

The capture of Mohamed Elneny points to Wenger trying to address that issue and it’ll be intriguing to see how he develops. Carrick, therefore, isn’t really needed by the Gunners, and as stylish as he may be on the ball, the Arsenal manager rarely drafts in players like him that are past their absolute peak.

Alexis Sanchez Happy With Gunners

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Arsenal’s forward Sanchez has revealed he loves life at the Emirates Stadium, even though it meant leaving the grandeur of Barcelona behind.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror (h/t Paul Vinnell of Sky Sports) ahead of the Gunners’ clash with his former club in the Champions League, the Chilean opened up about his move to the Premier League and insisted he couldn’t be happier at the moment:

"

It wasn't easy to leave Barcelona. I fulfilled a dream when I moved there—to play in Spain and for the champions—but very few players stay in the same club all their life. To leave is normal.

I wanted a new project, a new experience. And with so many attacking players at Barca it was a good choice to go... it has been a positive move and I love it at Arsenal.

"

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Since moving to the Emirates Sanchez has become a huge fan favourite, dazzling in his maiden Premier League term and helping the Gunners to win the FA Cup. His desire and drive at the point of the attack is infectious and when the former Barcelona man is at full tilt, there are no players in the league more entertaining to watch. 

However, with injuries frustrating the forward, he’s not quite been at his best as of late, per Squawka Football:

Normally, playing against a former club would give a player an extra dose of motivation, especially in a Champions League clash. 

However, Sanchez pours everything he has into every game and his former team-mates will be under no illusions about what to expect when they come up against the vibrant 27-year-old. If Arsenal are to stand any chance of making it through this tie, they’ll need the former Barca man to rediscover his absolute best.