Who is Sergio Aguero…Chelsea’s rumoured number one transfer target?

Okay that question is quite rhetorical as I expect you know who Aguero is or, at the least, know of him. Aguero’s name is known throughout football all over the world and he is a one of a number of players to have been heralded as the new Diego Maradona. Chelsea fans are already extremely excited about the possibility of the signing of Aguero who has been strongly linked with the club and it’s no wonder given how impressive the 21 year old has been in his young career to date. A brace against Chelsea recently would also have raised his reputation – along with the asking price for him. So how has Aguero become Chelsea’s first choice signing?

Independiente:

The diminutive Quilmes-born striker, nicknamed “Kun” due to his resemblance to a Japanese anime character of a similar name, started his senior career with Argentinean giants Independiente. He became the youngest ever player to play in the Argentinean league at just 15 years and 35 days old, beating Argentine legend Diego Maradona’s record in the process. Aguero only made six first team appearances in his first season at the club. He was to play a bigger role at the club in his second season in the first team squad as he made 12 appearances, scoring 5 goals alongside displaying silky skills on the ball to showcase his potential. Aguero was a regular for Independiente by the 2005/06 season where he made 36 league appearances, scoring 18 goals in the process. His record of one goal every two games was highly impressive for a 18 year old and Aguero was already considered one of the best talents in the world by this point with his silky dribbling and composed finishing belying his years.

Appearances: 54

Goals: 23

Atletico Madrid:

In the summer of 2006 it was announced that Aguero had joined Spanish side Atletico Madrid, a rumour which would represent a major coup for the club if true given how many top clubs were chasing the young Argentine ace. By the end of May all parties concerned had confirmed Aguero’s move for a fee believed to be around 23 million euros – a new transfer record for Atletico and a massive fee for a teenager. And Aguero was clearly expected to become an immediate hit at the club as he was given a first team role straight away, appearing in all of Atletico’s league games in the 2006/07 season but only scoring 6 goals as he attempted to adapt to the Spanish game. In the 2007/08 season he continued to be a regular for Atletico but managed to hit his stride this time around, scoring 19 goals to be La Liga’s third highest scorer and forming a good partnership with Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan. Aguero continued his form into his next season at Atletico where he hit 21 goals in all competitions, 17 of which had come in the league, as his partnership with Forlan continued to flourish. To date Aguero has 7 goals in 16 appearances in the current season.

Appearances: 151

Goals: 60

International Career:

Aguero represented Argentina’s youth sides in three youth tournaments, winning the 2005 Fifa World Youth Championships. Aguero then played in the Fifa Under 20 World Cup in 2007 where he won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards as Argentina won the trophy. He also was a key member of Argentina’s 2008 Olympics winning football team. Aguero made his senior debut for Argentina back in 2006 in a friendly against Brazil and has been an important player for Argentina since, making 20 appearances and scoring 7 goals. All this whilst 21 and under.

Appearances: 20

Goal: 7

The Future:

Many in Spain are shocked that Aguero is still at Atletico and, with the club struggling, it’s highly expected that he will leave for a bigger team sooner rather than later. Aguero is extremely fast, good on the ball, good at getting himself into good positions and lethal in front of goal. He’s also an excellent set-piece taker and at 21 has the best of his abilities yet to come. None of the players declared as the new Maradona have lived up to expectations but Aguero, along with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, looks capable of giving the Argentina manager a run for his money if his career to date is anything to go for. With Didier Drogba now in his 30’s Chelsea would be wise to sign a new striker and Aguero could fit the bill perfectly. He’s not the aerial threat Chelsea are used to having but he’s a skilful player whose abilities on the ball most individual Chelsea players could only dream of having. Signing Aguero for a reasonable price would be a coup for any big team. The reasonable price is unlikely though – Atletico will expect the bank to be broken to get this player off their books.