Earlier this week, Manchester City secured a deal with the River Plate for the transfer of the Argentine striker Julian Alvarez. The fee paid to River Plate will reportedly be 18.5 million euros, with bonuses and taxes added. But the Argentine striker will remain with River Plate till the end of this season. He will move to England only in June.
Julian Alvarez was on the radar of the Blues for a long time. They regularly watched his progress and analysed how he could fit in the team if he is signed. His name was on the transfer list of many top European clubs, and when his name started to attract clubs,
Manchester City reacted quickly and sealed his services for the coming years. They have done an excellent job in this transfer. After losing Ferran Torres to Barcelona, who they considered as a player for the future, they were searching for an attacking player. Now, they have got the Argentine for a decent amount.
After Sergio Aguero’s departure, everyone knew that he was leaving a gap in the team. Pep Guardiola knew that he could not be replaced, and the team would miss his lethality in crucial situations. The addition of Julian Alvarez can be seen as the replacement for the City legend.
When we analyse the stats of the Argentine, he can be considered the successor of Aguero.
Alvarez has an insane finishing quality. He has 18 goals and six assists in 17 starts this season for River Plate in the Argentinian top flight. He has found the back of the net 20 times in 24 total appearances for the side this term.
Alvarez has been in sensational form in the last 18 months since bursting onto the scene for River three years ago – he scored 22 goals in 45 games last season to win the Argentinian title.
He was the South American Footballer of the Year after establishing himself in Argentina with River Plate.
At the age of 21, he has already shown that he has a champion’s mentality by winning many titles.
The titles include:
Copa Libertadores winner 2018
Copa Argentina winner 2018–19
Recopa Sudamericana winner 2019
Supercopa Argentina winner 2019
Pre-Olympic Tournament winner 2020
Copa America winner 2021 (Argentina U23)
Trofeo de Campeones winner 2021 (Argentina)
Primera Division winner 2021
Emerging Argentine Primera Division top scorer: 2021 (18 goals)
South American Team of the Year: 2021
He is an attacking player who can fit well into Pep Guardiola’s system. Like Ferran Torres, he can also play comfortably in all three positions in the front. By looking from every side, we can confirm that Guardiola has a gem in his hand.
