City's leading scorer has been linked with a move away from The Etihad this summer
Sergio Aguero came to Manchester City in the summer of 2011 and has since become a talisman in the club’s turnaround to become Premier League title contenders under the Sheikh Mansour regime. However, despite the Argentine scoring over 30 goals this season, there is speculation that the super-striker will be sold, but is that really in City’s best interests?
Manchester City’s striker depth
At the start of the season, there were evident troubles between new manager Pep Guardiola and Sergio Aguero, mainly to do with the Argentine not playing the way that Guardiola demanded from his players. His troubles continued with two suspensions before the New Year - and then Gabriel Jesus arrived.
When he has been available, missing time due to a metatarsal fracture, Gabriel Jesus proved to be a dynamic scoring option. Then, there’s also young star Kelechi Iheanacho, who has also been goal-savvy throughout his still young career.
During his opening spell with the club, Jesus took starts away from Aguero, with the Argentine responding to the inflamed transfer rumours by saying: “The club will decide if I have a place here or not.”
Do City have too much talent?
'West Ham United Vs Manchester City' - joshjdss via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
The big issue that Manchester City and Sergio Aguero have now is that Manchester City have too many options in the striker and winger roles, which is one of the reasons why they’re 5/2 to win the league with 888sport next season.
Sergio Aguero is a natural and potent striker and, while he has adjusted his game slightly to befit Guardiola’s needs, he’s still an out-and-out striker.
Gabriel Jesus, on the other hand, has had a lot of success on the left wing, as cited by Guardiola when informing the press that he can get the Argentine and Brazilian to play together. However, City have a stack of talented wingers on the team who will want as much game time as possible as well.
This season, six key players have featured on Manchester City’s left wing, but the position can be narrowed down to having three suitors. Playmaking maestros Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva are much more effective up the middle and Raheem Sterling has seen the vast majority of his production come from the right wing this season, leaving Nolito, Leroy Sane, and Gabriel Jesus.
Naturally, a team hoping to compete on all fronts needs to have this kind of depth throughout the squad but it may result in talented young stars such as Sane and Jesus missing game time and Nolito rarely playing at all.
So, should City keep Aguero?
'West Ham United Vs Manchester City' - joshjdss via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
If Aguero stays, he’ll undoubtedly score goals for Manchester City no matter how much game time he gets, however, his need to play as the striker will cause problems for selection and rotation with the wingers – which is a nice problem to have. If he is unavailable, Jesus has proven to be a valid option, so can rotate in, as has Iheanacho.
If the Argentine sniper leaves, any club that can afford his services will automatically become a heavy favourite to win their domestic league as well as to find success in Europe. Then again, after spending so much money and the team potentially missing out on the Champions League next season – quite unlikely, but still possible – Guardiola may be required to bring in some money before strengthening the weaker areas of his squad.
'Manchester City champions victory parade 2012' by Stuart Grout (CC BY 2.0)