Sergio Aguero flew almost immediately from Porto to Catalonia after his Manchester City swansong ended in a Champions League final defeat.
Barcelona have confirmed the striker has signed a two-year deal with a needlessly extravagant release clause of €100 million.
Of course, they are in the position of needing a new frontman because, a year ago, they deemed Luis Suarez – then 33 – too old. The answer, naturally, has been to replace him with a 32-year-old who made seven league starts in the 2020-21 season, and one whom Pep Guardiola often chose to bench while playing without a recognised striker.
Ronald Koeman’s side still scored considerably more goals than any other La Liga team this season, even if Lionel Messi was responsible for over a third of them.
Yet it’s easy to see why they wanted Aguero. Forwards do not come much more high-profile, he didn’t cost a penny, and his close friendship with Messi should go some way towards convincing the six-time Ballon d’Or winner to hang around a little while longer.
Throw in Barcelona’s considerable following in Argentina and they have seemingly struck gold. Ageing South American strikers are still capable of delivering titles, too – just ask Atletico Madrid.
Freshly elected club president Joan Laporta is right to prioritise free transfers given the serious financial plight in which Barcelona find themselves. If Erling Haaland was a pipe dream, Aguero was a realistic, attainable target.
Realism is key, too. Among the most sensational recent moves from England to Spain, Philippe Coutinho and Eden Hazard have both struggled.
Laporta is desperately trying to avoid repeating the mistakes of his predecessor, Josep Maria Bartomeu, whose tenure was defined by one haphazard signing after another. Aguero is no Paulinho or Kevin Prince-Boateng, granted.
A more flattering interpretation is that Barcelona have learned from their mistakes in letting Suarez go, one they have now rectified to some degree by adding a player in a similar mould.
They have conducted some shrewd business as well, re-signing Eric Garcia from City and close to agreeing terms with Georginio Wijnaldum following his departure from Liverpool.
How Barcelona could line up with Aguero
That could leave Koeman with an inspired line-up as he bids to improve upon this season’s third-placed finish, with Barcelona slipping out of the title race on the penultimate weekend of the campaign.
If they continue to operate with wing-backs and a three-man defence, Wijnaldum will slot into a two-man midfield alongside Frenkie de Jong, with Aguero flanked by Messi and Antoine Griezmann.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3uEwwtV
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