Sergio Aguero is one of the best strikers in world football at the moment. Not only does he have a repertoire of attributes expected of a world class striker, he also has the stats to back his argument of being one of the best in his position, if not in the business.
The 28-year-old has notched up 161 goals for Manchester City in only 242 appearances and was the reason behind arguably the club’s greatest ever triumph – when he scored the winner as City pipped Manchester United to the title in the final seconds of the 2011-12 season.
To see the current situation that he faces at Manchester City is despairing, to say the least. It is clear that the Argentine is not Pep Guardiola’s first-choice to lead the line and has still managed to score 25 goals this season in all competitions. Most likely, the Citizens will allow the departure of the 28-year-old in the summer and we look at the possible destinations for Aguero.
Here are 5 clubs who really need Sergio Aguero and should pounce at the opportunity to sign him:
#1 Arsenal
Arsenal are one of the clubs who have long been in the hunt to sign a world-class forward but haven’t been able to do so. The Gunners have failed to replace Robin van Persie, ever since he made the switch to arch-rivals Manchester United in 2013.
The current predicament of the Gunners is borne out of the lack of a world-class striker in their ranks – not primarily but essentially. Olivier Giroud is an excellent second-choice striker who provides them with a good Plan B but he is not good enough to be the main striker of a club hoping to challenge for top honours. The same can be said of Danny Welbeck.
While Alexis Sanchez has done more than a decent job of leading the line for Arsene Wenger’s side this season, he is not a traditional number 9 and there are question marks regarding his future at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners should look to bring the Argentine forward to get the most out of star playmaker Mesut Ozil, whose pinpoint through balls would serve as the perfect chance for a striker of the caliber of Aguero to bury.
Manchester City may be reluctant to sell a superstar to a direct rival, but given the excellent working relationship between the two sides – as seen by the departure of so many stars from Emirates to the Etihad – it is not impossible to see this transfer happening.
#2 Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid won the league title against all odds in 2013-14, breaking the Barcelona-Real Madrid duopoly at the summit of La Liga – albeit briefly. Diego Simeone’s side have struggled to replace former hitman Diego Costa, who played a pivotal role in their La Liga triumph.
The Vicente Calderon outfit have struggled to hit heights of yesteryears this season and currently find themselves in 4th place in the league table – 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid. Los Rajiblancos should look to re-sign their former star striker to ease the goalscoring burden on Antoine Griezmann, a task that Kevin Gameiro has been assigned this season. Aguero would certainly be a much illustrious and arguably a better alternative to the 29-year-old and may help his former side challenge for the La Liga once again.
In the event that Antoine Griezmann does depart for greener pastures (read Manchester United), Aguero would be a more than able replacement for the Frenchman.
#3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid have fallen short of winning the La Liga on more occasions than one in recent years, with the lack of a better alternative to Karim Benzema being one of the main reasons behind this. Los Blancos sold Gonzalo Higuain to allow the Frenchman to thrive as the sole number 9 in the squad and while the 29-year-old has returned decent goals per season, he has left a lot to be desired for.
The Santiago Bernabeu outfit re-signed Alvaro Morata from Juventus to share the goalscoring burden of the Frenchman but it has not returned the desired results with both strikers struggling to hit top form. A striker of the mould of Aguero would compliment Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, and will help end Barcelona’s recent dominance in the league. Aguero could very well prove to be Real Madrid’s Suarez, if not more and they certainly have the financial clout to pull off a deal of this magnitude.
#4 Barcelona
Continuing on the topic of Luis Suarez. The Barcelona striker has racked up 21 goals this season in the league alone but has looked lackluster at times and has struggled when Messi and/or Neymar have been marked out of the game by the opposition defence.
The Uruguayan has scored an incredible 114 goals in 136 appearances for the Camp Nou outfit but early signs of his decline can be seen by those who have followed the Blaugrana closely this season. The former Liverpool man’s ability to create a chance out of nothing is still there but it is a waning power and at 30-years of age, he is not going to get any younger.
Given the understanding and the friendship between Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, it will be wise on the part of the Camp Nou outfit to sign the 28-year-old as a potential replacement for the Uruguayan.
#5 Manchester United
If Manchester United do end up signing Sergio Aguero, it will not be a signing borne out of necessity but one out of the will to prove that they are still the bigger club in Manchester.
The noisy neighbours have been the more successful and accomplished team in the last 5 years but the Old Trafford outfit are not known for being down far too long. They have started an ambitious rebuilding job under Jose Mourinho and look set to challenge for the league title next season. While they already have a super-striker in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, there is some uncertainty regarding his future and at 35, he is not getting any younger.
To lure Aguero to Old Trafford would require a massive bid but if there is one club capable of pulling off a deal of this magnitude, then that is Manchester United – as seen by their signing of Paul Pogba and Robin van Persie before that. The diminutive Argentine is still at the peak of his footballing powers and barring injuries is capable of scoring 30 goals per season for a couple of years if not more.
Will Manchester United sign the 28-year-old to reaffirm their superiority in Manchester? We will have to wait and see.
