As Manchester City enters what many anticipate will be one of their most challenging seasons in recent memory, the Premier League champions are faced with their first dilemma – the impending £81.5m departure of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid.
Pep Guardiola, the City manager, was not in favor of losing the 24-year-old forward, and with Alvarez having appeared in 103 matches across all competitions over the last two seasons, his absence will be significantly felt.
While Guardiola may have been aware of the situation, his last public comments about the Argentine forward, made on Saturday after his team’s victory over Chelsea in Columbus, clearly communicated his feelings.
“He will return,” Guardiola stated. “I rely on him.”
Guardiola was sincere; he has depended on Alvarez as a vital component of his attacking strategy. This is evident in the transfer fee, which is notably the highest in City’s history.
However, City has a longstanding policy of not retaining unhappy players, and it became clear to everyone at the club that a situation with Alvarez was brewing after Argentina’s 2022 World Cup victory.
At that time, the then 22-year-old had appeared in 20 matches for City, having moved from River Plate for £14.1m, largely off the radar of European fans. Importantly, over half of those appearances had been as a substitute.
From that moment, Alvarez realized he shouldn’t be a backup for anyone.
The evident hurdle was the prolific Erling Haaland, who stood in his way at City.
The statistics illustrate the challenge:
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In the last two seasons, Alvarez ranks seventh in overall Premier League scoring with 36 goals, while Haaland leads with 90.
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When combining goals and assists, Alvarez is eighth with 53 contributions, whereas Haaland is first with 105.
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Alvarez ranks ninth in total shots (214), while Haaland tops the chart with 360.
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Alvarez is also eighth for shots on target (98), with Haaland leading that category too (183).
With no opportunity to displace Haaland from the starting lineup, Alvarez sought an alternative path to establish himself as the primary option.
