Natalie Sawyer: Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester United shows 29 is the cool new thing
Jose Mourinho and the Red Devils are showing age is no barrier as they aim to fulfil the dreams and desires of the club's fans
SO IT seems being 29 years old is the new cool thing in football.
Some years ago, players approaching their 30th birthday were deemed to be in the latter stages of their careers and therefore not worth a big investment.
Then, Manchester United bought Nemanja Matic last summer for £40m one day before his 29th birthday, Matic penned a 3 year deal that would cost the reds something in the region of £70m for the total package - transfer fee and wages.
Matic will be approaching 32 when his contract ends and footballers of that age rarely have much transfer value, so that shows how much Man United wanted the player.
Now we are on the brink of another astonishing deal for a player heading towards his thirties.
Speculation is rife that Man United are going to buy another 29 year old and this deal is going to be the biggest ever for a player of that age.
Alexis Sanchez seems to be on his way to Old Trafford from The Emirates for a reputed £35m transfer fee and astonishing wages of £18.2m per year, plus of course the little matter of £5m to agents.
Assuming Sanchez signs a five year deal, I make that a total outlay of £131m, give or take a few pounds either way.
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The Chilean superstar will be 34 when his contract expires and financial analysts from business will question the validity of the deal.
But football is the dream factory, Man United are fulfilling the ambitions and desires of the club, fans and brand, even at a huge financial cost.
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When fans want a player, most are not bothered about balancing the books or whether it makes business sense, they just want to see the player at their club.
In fact, some fans can get rather annoyed if they see profits made at the end of financial year without success on the pitch.
But what is extraordinary about this possible deal is that the player has less than 6 months left on his contract and can sign a pre-contract with any foreign club to go for free.
Yet the level of his play still demands a substantial transfer fee no matter his age or contract position.
Jose Mourinho explained why his club should have an interest in certain sought-after players: “What we believe really is there are some players in the football world if you have the chance to sign them in January, March or July, you have to try and that's it. But in relation to Alexis Sanchez I don't say a word, the only word I can say is that he is a phenomenal player”.
In a late twist, it seems that Manchester City have pulled out of the race to sign Sanchez because they feel that the package is too much for a player with 6 months left on his contract.
There is an interesting debate to have over whether it matters how long a superstar player has left on his contract, especially when every club wants him?
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Now, Chelsea seem to have thrown their proverbial hat into the ring, what will be their take on the package needed for the 29 year old with less than 6 months left on his contract?
Well football never ceases to amaze me and all of us that love the sport, the possible transfer of Alexis Sanchez is another milestone in an incredible series of events we have seen in recent years.
On a sombre note it was very sad to hear of the death of Cyril Regis, he was a pioneer for black footballers in the 70’s and will always be remembered.