Aguero’s potential Chelsea move evokes Serie A swaps
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Quite remarkable rumours have surfaced over the weekend that Sergio Aguero has been targeted by Chelsea as a replacement for departing striker, Diego Costa.
Even more remarkably still, further reports suggest that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is willing to let the little Argentine dynamo leave. So much so that we’ve cut him to 2/1 to join Antonio Conte’s side.
To let a forward of Aguero’s calibre join a direct title rival has a huge whiff of Serie A off it. Particularly the late 90s and early 2000s, around which time the biggest and best players were swapping clubs like Premier League stickers in a school playground.
Think back to the days when Christian Vieri swapped Lazio for Inter, Hernan Crespo signed for Lazio from Parma, Lillian Thuram also jumped ship from Parma to Juventus, Pavel Nedved from Lazio to Juventus, Rui Costa from Fiorentina to AC Milan – the list is exhaustive, and glorious.
The halcyon days of Italian football on Channel4 – Gazzetta Football Italia and James Richardson splashed across our TV screens on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons.
Such occurrences have been rare at the top table in England. The elite clubs have seldom done business.
Robin Van Persie switching from Arsenal to Manchester United sticks in the memory. Ashley Cole from Arsenal to Chelsea, Carlos Tevez swapping United for City – the examples are few and far between.
Aguero has become a bit of a cult figure at the Etihad since signing from Atletico Madrid in 2011 – arguably a legend. With 169 goals in 253 appearances, he’s already one of their all-time top goalscorers.
Letting a player of his standing and ability move to Stamford Bridge would surely leave City fans incredulous?
There have been rumours all season, though, that Guardiola sees Brazilian prodigy Gabriel Jesus as the better fit for his system and would rather cash in on Aguero while the going is good.
If the transfer does go ahead, Man City and Guardiola better hope his best days are behind him, though, because a fit and firing Kun Aguero at the tip of that Chelsea attack would spell trouble.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
