Manchester City's customarily quiet January transfer window was given jolt of life this week by news that Julian Alvarez is set to join the Premier League champions.
Although he is likely to remain at River Plate until at least the middle of this year, the potential £17.9m signing of Argentina forward Alvarez should excited fans.
The 21-year-old racked up 18 goals and six assists in 21 appearances as he spearheaded River's charge to Primera Division glory in 2021.
In the MEN’s latest Facebook Live, City is Ours writer and presenter Alex Brotherton was accompanied by Argentine football journalist Santi Bauza as the pair discussed all things Alvarez, including the reasons why the brightest young talent from a football-mad country has chosen City as his preferred destination.
SB: “First of all, it’s a really big club and a really successful one. At this moment City have the best squad in England - it’s not exactly a controversial opinion. They have a ridiculously good squad and a manager who is very meticulous and focused on what he wants from a centre-forward.
“How many different options and new concepts Pep can attribute to a centre-forward is very attractive for a young player like Julian Alvarez. City have also got a rich history with Argentina, not just with Sergio Aguero but also Pablo Zabaleta - who is a cult icon at the club.
“City have a good history with Argentines and that’s something that attracts people when they want to see what the first destination in Europe is. It’s not common for City or any big clubs in the world to sign players straight from the Argentinian league.
“I think there’s a lot of things going for City at the moment for a striker like Alvarez. The fact City don’t have a striker at the moment is also really attractive. It’s an opportunity that’s up for grabs for Alvarez to get that spot and take care of it.
“The competition was fierce. He was obviously heavily linked with Manchester United but I think he would have had it more difficult at United, with their current striker situation. Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo are in their mid 30s but [there are also] a lot of young forwards to compete.
“So it would’ve been hard to get a spot with so much competition - competition that isn’t there at City at the moment in the centre of the attack.
“It’s a huge destination for Alvarez. The quality of the Premier League, the way the City squad is assembled and the history with Argentines would mean it’s a great place for someone to come in and adapt quickly to that level of football.”
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