Williams Alarcon will not be joining Championship outfit Sunderland with Spanish second-tier side UD Ibiza signing the Chile international on a loan-to-buy deal, as reported by AS.
Perhaps leaving La Calera for Wearside was been too much of a culture shock.
A harsh English winter in the North East may have had Alarcon packing his suitcase to the brim with gloves and leg warmers, reports from South America suggesting that the 22-year-old schemer was a January target for Tony Mowbray’s side.
Alarcon opted for the sun and sea of Ibiza rather than the drizzling rain of Sunderland; joining the Segunda side on an initial loan deal for the remainder of the season.
It is not certain exactly how much UD Ibiza would pay for Alarcon. He does has a £1.3 million release clause in his Union La Calera contract, however (El Portal Deportivo)
Will Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland make any moves late on deadline day?
Ibiza are currently bottom of Spain’s second-tier and facing relegation. Alarcon, then, feels a real coup of a signing. Especially after he forced his way into the Chilean national team late last year.
The defensively-minded midfielder admitted a couple of weeks ago that ‘my dream has always been to play in Europe’ (RedGol). Perhaps that desire is what convinced him to put pen to paper with UD Ibiza. Should he impress at the Estadi Can Misses, it is likely that he will be picked up by another Europe-based club, whether inside or outside of Spain.
It is not quite certain exactly how serious Sunderland’s alleged interest, meanwhile, really was.
The Black Cats appear to have been prioritising British-based, homegrown talent this month anyway. Pierre Ekwah, Joe Gelhardt and Joe Anderson arrived from Premier League trio West Ham United, Leeds and Everton respectively.
Ekwah could help offset the loss of captain Corry Evans to a season-ending injury. Sunderland suffered a further blow following Saturday’s 1-1 FA Cup draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage; top scorer Ross Stewart also ruled out until the summer.
“Kristjaan (Speakman, sporting director) and the recruitment staff are burning the oil late into the night to try and help the team,” Mowbray tells the Sunderland website.
“The loss of Ross Stewart is huge for us. It’s amazing that we’ve managed to get young Gelhardt in the building, who’s a wonderful talent. He’s a different type of footballer of course to Ross.
“Let’s wait and see whether need any more.”
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