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1 July 2021
Tomás Alarcón, next stop : La Liga !
Slightly overshadowed by both Euro and Copa America, the traditional summer transfer window is however in full swing. Over the last days, the Liga side Cadiz have announced the signing of Tomás Alarcón. The Chile international, who played the Maurice Revello Tournament in 2019, is seen in his country as the Arturo Vidal’s successor.
During the 2020-2021 campaign, for their return in the Spanish top-flight fourteen years after their last appearance, Cadiz clinched an encouraging 12th place in Liga, earning notably prestigious wins over giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelone.
To continue their development, Cadiz are trying to get summer transfer window business done early by signing notably the Chile international Tomás Alarcón from Chilean side O’Higgins. Currently involved in the Copa America with Chile, the 22-year-old midfielder will join his new club after the end of the South American competition.
OFICIAL | El chileno Tomás Alarcón, segundo fichaje para la 2021-22.
— Cádiz Club de Fútbol (@Cadiz_CF) June 13, 2021
« Alarcon is seen as one of Chilean football’s rising stars »
According to local sources, Cadiz spent around $2M for a player who made a name for himself in the Chilean top-flight. “He was already considered as a rising star of the Chilean football last year and he confirmed his status this year. This is not a surprise at all to see him moving abroad”, explains Amaury Chesneau, Chilean football expert for Derniers Défenseurs.
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With good reason : Alarcon has enjoyed an astonishing rise since participating at the Maurice Revello Tournament 2019 where he was the Chilean most used player by the head coach Bernardo Redin. The latter who was as well at the moment the assistant coach of the Chile senior national team. So, it’s not a surprise if, following his performances in the Southern France, the midfielder has been handed his senior international debut with Chile against Argentina (0-0) on the 6th September 2019.
« He’s seen as the successor to Arturo Vidal »
A successful period with his national team that has obviously boosted his confidence as Alarcon produced then in 2020 the best season of his career : 7 goals in 28 league games with O’Higgins. Not bad for a midfielder supposed to be… defensive ! “He’s a defensive midfielder who makes forwards runs and gives everything on the pitch. He describes himself as a warrior on the field”, says Amaury Chesneau. The Chilean football specialist explains as well that Alarcon is often compared to a Chile star : Arturo Vidal.
Ey amigos del @cadiz_cf! Acá les compartimos los 8 goles del gran Tomi Alarcón! Temple de acero, corazón y jerarquía! 💥💪
— O'Higgins FC 🇧🇼🔰 (@OHigginsoficial) June 13, 2021
🌍 Va a ser genial verlo debutar en @laliga ¡A prepararse con todo!
PD: Nos cuidan a Tomi!! 🧐🤗 pic.twitter.com/NjTVyuRy47
“He’s seen as the successor to Arturo Vidal given his position. By the way, it’s no coincidence that’s always Alarcon who replaced Vidal each time during this Copa America”, tells Amaury Chesneau. Before adding : “Even if he’s supposed to have a defensive profile as a midfielder, he makes a lot of forward runs, that’s why he scored a lot. This is also why the comparison with Arturo Vidal is appropriate, with the Arturo Vidal we saw with the national team : a ball-winner who is also able to distribute the ball.”
Preceded by a flattering reputation, Alarcon reportedly had a long list of suitors over the last months. Local medias were talking about interest from Mexico (Club Leon) and Brazil (Sao Paulo, Internacional) : eventually, the Chile international will pursue his career in one of the strongest leagues in the world, La Liga. “I’m surprised that any big South American team succeed to sign him. This is usually the path that we saw : before crossing Atlantic, Chilean players prefer to join Brazilian, Argentinean, American or Mexican leagues and then try their chance in Europe. This is the case for example of another highly-rated Chilean player : Carlos Palacios who moved to Internacional Porto Alegre in Brazil. Alarcon has decided to move directly in a competitive league in Europe. This is a logical destination on both linguistic and cultural levels but that will require a time of adaptation”, analyses Chilean football expert Amaury Chesneay.
An ambitious but a well-considered decision from Tomás Alarcón. “On the long term, I would like to play in Europe”, he explained on 2020 in a interview with DirecTV. His wish is fulfilled !
Amayes Brahmi
