In a recent report, Manchester Evening News revealed that Manchester City are in pole position to land River Plate forward Julian Alvarez. It is believed that the Mancunian giants are 4/5 favorites to acquire the services of the Argentine sensation during this January transfer window.
Alvarez’s Impressive Numbers In Argentine Football Last Season
Alvarez had a fruitful campaign with the Argentine outfit in the previous campaign after producing a handful of impressive displays as the focal point of their attack. The 21-year-old registered 24 goals and 15 assists in 46 matches for River Plate last season on all fronts.
The Calchin-born prospect gave a good account of himself by averaging 3.1 shots, 2.1 key passes, 1.1 crosses and 2.1 dribbles per 90 minutes in Liga Profesional. However, he needs to take care of the ball a bit better when distributing possession in the final third as he completed 73.2% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
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What Will Alvarez Add To Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola’s Team?
Alvarez can use his quickness and agility to cause a lot of problems for the opposition centre-backs. The Argentine talent managed to transform himself into a prolific presence in the final third last season and has even shown that he has got the vision to set up some inviting chances for his teammates up top.
The River Plate whizkid is an excellent dribbler with the ball at his feet and can even whip in a few dangerous crosses into the opponent’s penalty area.
A forward of Alvarez’s quality and potential will be an exciting acquisition for Man City as Pep Guardiola is still looking for a new number 9 to replace Sergio Aguero at the Etihad Stadium.
At the moment, the Mancunian giants have got Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish taking turns to fill in as a makeshift centre-forward. Thus, signing Alvarez would definitely be a good move for Guardiola as he will add more goals and creativity to his attack. Hence, it makes sense for Man City to get the Argentine marksman on board before the end of this month.
