Do London teams have an advantage in attracting best players?

Alexis Sanchez seems very happy to be at Arsenal

Alexis Sanchez chose Arsenal over Liverpool primarily because the significant other in his life wanted to live in London, is this the norm?

Alexis Sanchez made the switch from Barcelona to Arsenal despite prolonged interest from Liverpool.

One of last summer's biggest - and best as it turned out - signings provoked much debate over whether teams based in London hold an advantage when it comes to attracting big names to the Premier League.

The Anfield club offered Barcelona more money for the Chilean but it was the Gunners that won out, apparently based on the players desire to relocate to London.

Do the London-based Premier League clubs have an ace up their sleeve based entirely on geography?

There can be little doubt that London is a major attraction as a playground for football's millionaire stars.

One of the world's iconic cities, the capital offers a cosmopolitan lifestyle that no other British city can compete with. The size and scale of London also means that there is some hope - just a small bit - of securing some form of anonymity amongst the fast pace of London life.

In one sense, footballers are no different to the rest of us and, when deciding to relocate, they have to consider their home life and how best to keep their family content amongst the often frequent upheaval of their relatively short careers.

In the case of players moving to England from the warmer climes of the continent, there needs to be some payback for swapping sunshine for cold hard winters and London can be that trade off.

The rumour mill was of course rife in the summer with suggestion that Sanchez chose the Emirates over Anfield in order to pacify the lady in his life.

However, ahead of Arsenal's trip to the Merseyside in December, sources close to the Chilean suggested his decision was in fact based on a desire to play under Arsene Wenger.

We must also assume that Arsenal's consistent participation in the Champions League was a factor that will have weighed heavily in the decision-making process for Sanchez.

Liverpool made their much heralded return to European football's top table this season but during his time at Barcelona, Sanchez has crossed swords with Arsenal and would have come to recognise the Gunners as a constant presence in that competition.

More and more, it has become the mantra of every professional seeking a move 'up the ladder' to cite Champions League football a decisive factor in swaying their move.

The reality of that situation is that right now Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal are the only teams unlikely to miss out. Of those three, City have yet to truly leave their mark on the Champions League or convince anyone that they have the wherewithal to win it outright.

Two thirds of the teams genuinely competing at that elite level are therefore based in London.

The Sanchez saga aside, we have little evidence to suggest that big names are unwilling to come to England unless it is to London.

Manchester City's wealth has been a decisive factor in bringing the likes of Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and David Silva to these shores.

More than that, success on the field of play at a time when Arsenal were struggling saw Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy swap the London life for Manchester.

When a club is offering the potent combination of financial rewards and silverware, geography does not appear to be a barrier.

In the summer just past, we witnessed City's nearest neighbours United attracting some huge names into English football.

The trophy-laden years of Sir Alex Ferguson remain enough to entice the game's finest to Old Trafford.

While David Moyes proved an inadequate replacement for British football's most successful manager, the reputation of Louis van Gaal restored United's pulling power.

Angel di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Marcos Rojo all signed on the dotted line in the summer while Victor Valdes recently had no trouble in relocating to Manchester to become David de Gea's understudy.

Those clubs that are typecast in the role of 'top four contenders' as we can see will have no trouble in attracting star names.

The problem is that with the media's infatuation with transfer rumours and hearsay, these clubs often find themselves linked with the same targets when it becomes clear a move is on and subsequently there is much debate over why a particular player ended up in London instead of Manchester or Liverpool.

What about the clubs outside of the elite group, do we find an imbalance among the other Premier League clubs?

Jermain Defoe returned to English football last week after a spell in Canada.

A London boy born and bred, Defoe has made his career in and around the capital and further south. Now, in what must surely be his final roll of the dice at this level, the 32-year-old resisted apparent interest from Crystal Palace to move to the North East.

Defoe hailed the passion of the Sunderland fans and the appetite for the game in the area as one of the reasons behind his move.

We need only look to at the French colony that has come through the doors at St James' Park in recent seasons as proof that foreign players coming to England are not clouded by geography, but rather the desire to break into what is widely regarded as one of the most exciting leagues in the world.

Stoke manager Mark Hughes spoke last week of how the Potters have re-positioned themselves in terms of how they are viewed by potential signings.

The Welshman believes that Stoke can now compete with their Premier League peers for any player.

Former Barcelona protg Bojan made the move to the Britannia last summer, another prime example of a player moving to a non-London based club seeking to gain a foothold in English football.

Individual cases notwithstanding, there doesn't seem to be any bias towards the London clubs.

Indeed, in the January transfer window it could be argued any potential bias would be offset by the short nature and chaotic end to mid-season transfer dealings.

Players are left with less time on which to dwell over their moves and must focus more on footballing matters compared to lifestyle choices.

At this point, we are safe to assume that the modern player's mercenary tendencies have not yet plummeted to the depths whereby location matters more than prospects on the field of play.