The curious case of Sergio Aguero has been
rumbling ever since Pep Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City and the
intrigue is only heightened during these weeks of trading.
Will
he go? Will he stay? If he stays, will he play? If he goes, to where?
City remain adamant Aguero will not be sold amid news Chelsea made
enquiries as Romelu Lukaku’s decision to join Manchester United became
clear.
But the suspicion that Aguero
may yet depart the Etihad lingers on due to Guardiola’s pursuit of
Alexis Sanchez. Arsenal may refuse to sell to City, of course, but it is
a path well trodden and should the Chilean join the roster of
diminutive stars at Guardiola’s dispense then Aguero would be within his
rights to consider his future.
It could yet be that Guardiola configures
some brilliantly nihilistic formation that includes all his flair
players but it is tough to see how Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, Kevin De
Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Bernardo Silva fit together.
So
if Aguero is not for sale, it strikes as odd any overtures might be
made for Sanchez. Having both would surely be too bloated an attack even
for a manager as focused on goals as Guardiola. In that case, Aguero
would seem the inevitable fall guy.
And
what a strange outcome that would be. This is one of the Premier
League’s greatest ever strikers. The undisputed best by minutes per
goal. He has scored 122 at a rate of one every 109.8 minutes. Harry Kane
is next best on 78 goals at one every 116.88 minutes. Thierry Henry got
175 goals at a rate of 121.79 minutes per strike. Sanchez doesn’t make
the top 10.
aguero can find the net from all angles,
has notched 23, 12, 17, 26, 24, 20 in each of his six seasons, and will
forever be the man who brought City their first Premier League title in
that unforgettable fashion.
But last
season he lost his place to a 20-year-old Brazilian untried in England.
Jesus stormed onto these shores to justify Guardiola’s selection, before
succumbing to injury only to return with just the same explosive
impact. He scored seven goals in 10 Premier League games at a rate of
one every 92.86 minutes, bettering Aguero’s ratio.
He
ran, harried and hustled more than Aguero, who did react but does not
seem naturally suited to covering great distances at high speed in the
style his manager would want. Sanchez, on the other hand, seems allergic
to standing still.
At 28, he still
chases the ball like a kid and can do beautiful things when he has it.
On that basis, why wouldn’t Guardiola be interested? He took Sanchez to
Barcelona in 2011 and though their only season together could not be
described as perfect there was evidently a good deal of warmth between
the pair
Dynamism fuels
their football philosophies and whereas at Barcelona Guardiola could
not quite hit on Sanchez’s best position the Spaniard has seen at
Arsenal how he can lead the line on his own.
All
of which means the Aguero question persists. Passing up the guarantee
of goals he provides seems of form of self-flagellation but if that
meant the introduction of Sanchez, Guardiola would go for it in the
belief his team would work in greater unison overall.
Arsene
Wenger and Arsenal have a major say in all this of course, and may
decide to keep Sanchez even if he doesn’t sign a new contract but the
noises on a departure remain loud.
Chelsea’s
interest in Aguero raises a fascinating prospect and it is easy to see
how the 29-year-old would slot into Antonio Conte’s system.
Aguero scored 20 goals last season but in 600 fewer minutes than Chelsea's Diego Costa
He
would provide a lethal focal point to put away the chances created by
Eden Hazard or Pedro, ironically the player who in part kept out Sanchez
during Barca’s 2011-12 season.
United’s
late swoop for Lukaku has thrown Chelsea’s plans and given there is no
route back for Diego Costa, Conte is in desperate need for an elite
striker. Aguero would represent as solid a purchase as any in Europe.
Like Costa, Aguero got 20 goals last season but in 600 fewer minutes.
Whatever the unpredictability right now, that much is certain. Aguero guarantees goals.
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