Is Alexis Mac Allister going to be in high demand after his exploits for Argentina?

BeSoccer 1 year ago 7.9k |

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Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister has had a terrific World Cup for Argentina. BeSoccer

Brighton fans have known about Alexis Mac Allister’s talents for some time now, but this season the Argentine has been gaining followers elsewhere. The player’s red-hot form at club level earned him a call-up to the World Cup in Qatar, and he seized the chance to make a name for himself. After firing Argentina into the Round of 16, there could be many suitors looking at signing Mac Allister in the summer.

Mac Allister fires Argentina into last 16

Argentina upset betting markets in their World Cup opener when they lost to Saudi Arabia. They managed to recover from that stutter, though, and went on to win the group. They were heavy favourites in the Argentina v Australia odds to win that favourable last-16 tie and progress to the latter stages of the tournament. Indeed, bettors were able to get odds of 1/5 for Argentina to win, with Lionel Messi at 5/2 to be the first goal scorer.

Argentina’s upturn in form during their match against Mexico coincided with a change of personnel in the centre of the park, with Mac Allister coming in for Papu Gómez on the left. The Brighton man made an instant impact and provided a much-needed spark going forward. Indeed, he was named as the Player of the Match despite not getting on the scoresheet in that game.

Mac Allister then went on to reward Lionel Scaloni’s faith in him by scoring in the 46th minute of the final group game against Poland. The goal set Argentina on the way to a crucial 2-0 victory, which resulted in them topping Group C. Mac Allister was once again named Player of the Match, with an even higher rating than his previous game.

Strong season at Brighton

Mac Allister seems to have grown in stature as a player in a short space of time, and he is now catching the eyes of scouting teams around the world. His performances at club level have been strong this term as well, and he already has five goals to his name in the Premier League.

Signing for Brighton from Argentinos Juniors in 2019 was Mac Allister’s big break, but he may be starting to feel like he has outgrown the seaside club. He will have seen other players like Ben White and Marc Cucurella earn high-profile moves to top clubs, and could view himself as the next in line for a similar deal.

Brighton have a great record in recent years of picking up promising talent on the cheap and then selling these players for huge profits. They paid a mere €8 million for the player back then, but he’s bound to be worth a lot more now. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a lot of clubs circling for Mac Allister’s signature.

The World Cup often provides an opportunity for players to break out and earn international acclaim. Mac Allister is certainly one star who has managed to achieve that already. He could attract a lot of interest in the next couple of transfer windows.