Manchester City look likely to be waving goodbye to Julian Alvarez in the coming days.
Following reports that Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal to sign the striker for €95m (£81m), it was then claimed by journalist Cesar Luis Merlo that Alvarez will be having his medical at the Spanish club on Monday before making the move official.
With the start of the new Premier League season on the horizon and the summer transfer window set to close at the end of the month, one former top-flight manager has shared his verdict on what City should be looking to do in regards to potentially replacing Alvarez.
- Who is Julian Alvarez? The story of the striker who won it all at Man City before joining Atletico Madrid
Sam Allardyce insists Man City must sign a replacement for Julian Alvarez
When asked if he thinks Alvarez’s exit will be a big blow for City, Sam Allardyce had this to say in a recent edition of the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.
He said: “I do, yeah, because I think, down the middle, number 10, wide right, wide left, he slots into those spots.
“It depends on who the replacement is going to be. There has to be a replacement. For me, there should be a replacement.
“For all the games Man City are going to be playing in because even though they were saying Alvarez didn’t play that much, he probably played 30 games.”
City may leave it late to land a replacement for Alvarez
During his two seasons at the Etihad Stadium, the 24-year-old appeared in 103 games across all competitions, scoring 36 goals and providing 18 assists along the way.
As Allardyce mentioned, not only has Alvarez been a useful and reliable attacking figure for the Blues, but he’s also shown his versatility by playing in numerous positions across the pitch when asked to by Pep Guardiola.
In our view, Guardiola should see how his side fare in their upcoming games before the window closes before deciding to bring in someone they may have on their transfer list as a potential and suitable replacement for Alvarez.
